Andhra BJP chief Somu Veerraju begins yatra, accuses Jagan government of disrespecting Hindu sentiments

VIJAYAWADA: Alleging that the YSRC government has been disrespectful of Hindu sentiments, BJP state chief Somu Veerraju questioned as to why the state government has not taken up the reconstruction of 40 temples that were razed down during the previous regime. He also accused the Jagan Mohan Reddy government of having a ‘single point’ agenda to build churches and pay salaries to pastors, while disregarding other important issues.

Somu, along with his party colleagues, started his four-day temple visit yatra in Vijayawada on Saturday. He visited Saiva Kshetram on the banks of River Krishna before offering prayers at Kanaka Durga temple. “The state government has been utterly disrespectful of Hindu sentiments. Even though it has been several months since temples and their properties were attacked, it seems that the government is of the view that it need not care and arrest the culprits.

While 40 temples were demolished, the YSRC, which promised to reconstruct all of them before elections, has taken up works related to only four temples. Of them too, they have restricted a temple, which was earlier in 1,400 sq yards, to just 400 sq yards,” Somu claimed. 

The BJP chief also criticised endowments minister Velampalli Srinivas. “The minister claims that the BJP was silent when the temples were demolished. He seems to have issues with his memory. He was with the BJP back then and he fought alongside us,” he added.