The BJP’s national leadership is peeved at the way its city unit reacted in the run-up to and the aftermath of the recent demolition of Guru Ravidas Mandir in south Delhi’s Tughlakabad, said party sources.
BJP national chief Amit Shah had earlier this week sought details about the August 10 demolition of the temple and discussed the “mishandling of the issue” by the leaders of the city unit and its seven Delhi MPs, party insiders told The Hindu .
“The party’s national leadership is unhappy with the fact that representatives from several bodies associated with the temple’s management had met with many Delhi leaders and office-bearers on multiple occasions in the run-up to the demolition, but nothing was done to allay their concerns,” a party source claimed.
Affixing responsiblity
“At a recent meeting of the national executive, it came to light that these representatives had also met some MPs seeking respite. While the demolition could not have been stopped as it was executed as per Supreme Court orders, its aftermath could have been prevented from snowballing into an inter-State political issue by the local leadership and the Delhi BJP MPs,” the source said further.
With the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled “sooner than later”, the national leadership is in the process of “affixing responsibility” for the alleged mishandling of the issue, said another party source. Sources claimed that senior leaders from the Delhi unit could be summoned for the exercise over the coming days.
Meanwhile, the party is exploring possible solutions to contain the issue. “The BJP is committed and working towards the restoration of the temple in its previous glory and its reconstruction at the same location where it stood before demolition,” said Dushyant Kumar Gautam, BJP national vice-president and international president of Shri Guru Ravidas Vishwa Mahapeeth.
