National

Gujarat suspends demolition drive

GANDHINAGAR: The Gujarat government has suspended “for the time being” the drive to remove illegal structures, including temples, that came up on government and other unauthorised land in large numbers during the last few years.

The official order to suspend the drive in Gandhinagar and several other cities, was issued after Chief Minister Narendra Modi had a meeting with Vishwa Hindu Parishad international president Ashok Singhal at his residence here on Friday. Minister of State for Home Amit Shah and senior officials were present.

Mr. Singhal, who has been in the State since Thursday and visited some of the sites where temple structures once stood, declined to comment on the outcome of the meeting.

But soon afterwards, orders were issued by the Chief Minister’s office, silencing the bulldozers and asking the demolition squads to return to their bases.

While no specific time frame had been given for the suspension of the demolition drive, a government spokesman said a committee of officials of the Home, Revenue, Public Works and other departments would be formed to review the situation and find a way out to the impasse.

Among the various formulae under consideration was regularisation of the temple sites, wherever feasible, without causing impediments to traffic, and relocation of some of the demolished temples on authorised land.

Mr. Singhal, who had expressed shock at the government’s “Mahmud Ghazni-type” drive to demolish temples, “unheard of even in the Mughal era,” appeared satisfied with the outcome of his meeting with Mr. Modi.

Mr. Singhal is also understood to have discussed with Mr. Modi the arrest of senior VHP activist Ashwin Patel and alleged “harassment” of some other senior leaders, including State general secretary Kaushik Mehta on the charge of sending “offensive” mobile messages derogatory to the Chief Minister and the State government.

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