RSS protests against demolition of temples for Jaipur Metro

Mangalore Today News Network

Jaipur, July 10, 2015: Vehicular traffic on all the major roads of Jaipur, including the national highways, was disrupted on Thursday following a two-hour long chakka jam (traffic blockade) called by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliated bodies under the banner of the Mandir Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (MBSS).

The agitators were protesting against the manner in which about 100 temples were demolished in the city to make way for the Metro Rail. Though the chakka jam was from 9 am to 11 am, its effect was felt from 8 am onwards when the police stopped vehicles on roads to avoid any untoward incident. And it took another hour to smoothen the traffic.

To add to the embarrassment of the state government, several senior BJP legislators of Jaipur, including veteran Ghanshyam Tiwari and Narpat Singh Rajvi, joined the protest.

Tiwari was the deputy leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly during the previous Ashok Gehlot government, while Rajvi is the son-in-law of the former Vice President and BJP veteran Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. Both are considered Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s detractors. Rajvi said that the way 286-year-old Rozgareshwar Mahadev temple was demolished in the wee hours was highly objectionable. Tiwari pointed out that he had raised the issue during the state Assembly session but his words fell on deaf ears. Kailash Nath Bhatt, who till recently was the state BJP spokesperson, also participated in the protest.

Sangh swayamsevaks and members of outfits like the Vishva Hindu Parishad, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and Hindu Jagran Manch also took part. Sangharsh Samiti convener Badri Narayan Choudhary claimed that the chakka jam was successful as "people supported it". The swayamsevaks manned 75 points across the city, but they were joined by ordinary people at 100 spots, Choudhary claimed.

 

 

Courtesy: Indiatoday