Hitting out at the BJP over demolition of the Ravidas temple, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the BJP of having an "anti-Dalit" mentality.
AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP said that on one hand the BJP was pushing for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, on the other hand it was behind demolition of the Ravidas temple.
Singh said that no immediate response was available from the BJP on the issue. "The day we receive a denotification proposal from the DDA, we will approve it and start construction. But no steps are being taken by the DDA. This shows that the BJP has anti-Dalit mentality," he added.
He said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also wrote to Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday, seeking a direction to the Delhi Development Authority
(DDA) to initiate the process of denotifying the forest land where the Ravidas temple stood.
Singh said if the Central Government gives permission to build a temple on this land, then the Delhi government would build a grand temple of Sant Ravidas at the place with the help of the public.
Home Minister Amit Shah went to Kerala and challenged the issue of Sabarimala temple in Supreme Court, saying that the court should take a decision respecting the sentiments of the people and the same BJP demolished year's old temple in Delhi when it comes to respect dalit sentiment.
The temple in South Delhi's Tughlaqabad area was demolished on August 10 by the DDA on the direction of the Supreme Court.
The demolition of the temple in a forest area in Tughlakabad led to a big controversy, with the AAP seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in ensuring that the land is given back to the community to rebuild the place of worship.
