Reflecting the worsening ties within the ruling TDP-BJP alliance in Andhra Pradesh, the Kanakadurga temple in Vijayawada on Sunday witnessed some tense moments as TDP leaders tried to prevent BJP leaders from visiting the sites where temples were bulldozed recently and almost came to blows.
The Times of India reported:
The visit of BJP leaders to the places, where temples stood until a few days ago, virtually triggered a war of words between the two allies as TDP MP Kesineni Nani accused the ally of resorting to dirty politics.He said the BJP governments in Gujarat and Rajasthan had demolished temples for development and asked the local saffron leaders to go there to stage their `political' drama.
Meanwhile, the BJP leaders demanded that the government re-build all the temples with state funds.
The Hindu reported:
Sensing the angry mood, the government on Sunday morning constituted a committee consisting of five Ministers which promptly announced that all the demolished temples would be re-built. The committee also resolved not to disturb any other temple even by an inch...and rebuild those temples at their original locations in such a way that movement of traffic is not obstructed.