NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Atishi on Tuesday raised concerns over the order for the demolition of multiple religious structures in the city, and urged Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena to reconsider the orders. In a letter addressed to Saxena, Atishi said that the Religious Committee had decided to demolish several temples and Buddhist structures across Delhi, including those held dear by the Dalit community.
Atishi wrote, “It has been decided by the Religious Committee – on your directions, and with your approval – to demolish multiple religious structures across Delhi.As you can see the list of religious structures to be demolished includes many temples, and Buddhist places of worship that are revered by the Dalit community.”
The Delhi CM said that the demolition orders, issued in a meeting held on November 22, 2024, were bypassing the Delhi government’s involvement, with all decisions now routed through the Lieutenant Governor’s office.
She added that, given the elected government’s role in protecting the religious sentiments of Delhi’s people, such decisions should not be taken without consultation. “On behalf of the people of Delhi, I request you not to demolish any of these temples and places of worship,” she wrote.
‘Cheap politics’: LG’s secretariat dismisses allegations
In response to Atishi’s letter, the Lieutenant Governor’s office rejected the claims, asserting that no temples or places of worship were being demolished. A spokesperson from the LG Secretariat said, “Neither any Temples, Mosques, Churches or any other place of worship being broken/demolished, nor has any file to this effect come. CM is playing cheap politics to divert attention from her and her predecessor CM’s failures.”
The statement further added that the Lieutenant Governor had issued strict instructions to the police to maintain extra vigilance to prevent any politically motivated vandalism, citing the smooth celebrations during Christmas as evidence of the policy’s success.
“LG has issued strict instructions to the Police to maintain extra vigil against forces who may indulge in deliberate vandalism for political benefits. His instructions are being strictly followed, as was witnessed during the just gone Christmas celebrations which did not see any untoward incident,” the statement added.
Political tensions rise ahead of Delhi polls
The latest exchange of letters comes amid growing political tensions between Atishi and the Lieutenant Governor. Earlier, in a separate letter, Atishi had criticised the LG’s office for acting as a proxy for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi. She accused Saxena of undermining the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) government by interfering in key initiatives, particularly schemes aimed at empoweringwomen.
Atishi’s comments followed an earlier dispute with the LG’s office over Arvind Kejriwal’s remark referring to Atishi as a “temporary CM.” Saxena had expressed his disapproval of the statement, calling it an affront to constitutional values. Atishi responded by saying that all elected officials, including her, were temporary by nature and should not be subject to petty political criticism.
