AP CM lays foundation for rebuilding 9 temples; TDP dubs it as diversionary tactic

What is the IntelligenceDepartment doing The Congress feels Jagan is hiding thefacts, Sailajanath told reporters in Vijayawada.Jagan Reddys allegation that political vested interestswere instigating attacks on temples only exposed hisincompetence, the former minister charged.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y SJagan Mohan Reddy on Friday laid the foundation stone for there-construction of nine temples that were removed during theprevious TDP regime for road widening works in Vijayawada.

The government took up this work in the backdrop of thegrowing acts of vandalism in temples across the state, whichhas drawn flak from the opposition parties.

Questioning the timing of the foundation laying, the mainopposition Telugu Desam Party lashed out at the chiefminister and said people would not believe his 'gimmicks' ifthe perpetrators of temple vandalism were not brought to book.

The chief minister also visited Indrakeeladri, the abodeof Vijayawadas presiding deity Goddess Kanaka Durga, andconducted the bhoomi puja for various developmental works at acost of Rs 70 crore.

He released a glossy calendar of the EndowmentsDepartment containing the pictures of deities of 12 importanttemples in the state.

Jagan Reddy unveiled two plaques on the banks of riverKrishna where the famous Saneeswara Swamy temple will berebuilt.

This was one of the temples demolished in the year 2016 tofacilitate the construction of a fly-over.

The others are small temples that will be re-built atdifferent places in the city.

Endowments Minister V Srinivasa Rao, MunicipalAdministration Minister Botsa Satyanarayana, EndowmentsSecretary M Girija Shankar and others were present.

TDP state president K Atchannaidu alleged the move was todivert the attention of people from recent incidents ofdesecration of temples.

''For 19 months after assuming power, he remained silentbut suddenly the Chief Minister has taken up the templereconstruction works. This is only to divert the peoplesattention from the ongoing acts of desecration of Hindutemples,'' he said.

State Congress president S Sailajanath also came down onthe Chief Minister saying the latter owed an explanation topeople of the state over the attacks on temples.

''What are the police doing? What is the IntelligenceDepartment doing? The Congress feels Jagan is hiding thefacts, Sailajanath told reporters in Vijayawada.

Jagan Reddy's allegation that political vested interestswere instigating attacks on temples only exposed hisincompetence, the former minister charged.