Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy has alleged the acts of vandalism at temples across the state as a conspiracy by the Opposition to deflect the public attention from his government's welfare programmes.
Reddy also likened the temple desecration acts and the ensuing Opposition onslaught to “political guerrilla warfare in the state.”
Reddy who, on Monday, virtually inaugurated the AP Police Duty Meet at Tirupati, asked the police officials to include a session to dwell on the ways to tackle “the political Guerrilla Warfare taking place in the form of vandalizing idols, and to come up with strategies to prevent such incidents in the future.”
The state, which is witnessing a series of malicious acts at various Hindu temples, is tense since the destruction of an ancient Lord Rama idol in the sanctum sanctorum of a temple in Ramatheertham in Vizianagaram district last week.
TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu who visited the site portrayed CM Reddy as a staunch Christian, accusing him of misusing his position with the intention of converting Hindus.
On Monday, the YSRCP government announced a CID probe into the Rama idol damage incident, and promised to renovate the temple.
The CM criticised the Opposition leaders “for playing cheap politics by exploiting faith.”
“People should think as to who benefits by smashing the idols of gods, from provoking emotions and violence?”
Reddy listed about a dozen vandal acts at various temples since November 2019 and claimed that every incident took place a few days apart from the launch of a welfare programme in the state.
The CM asserted that the Ramatheertham incident was planned to coincide with the distribution of house sites to the poor.
Chief Minister Reddy stated that most of the temples where incidents occurred are not under the Endowments Department. “Attack on temples are happening in remote areas at late hours when no one is around, especially at those private shrines managed by the Opposition party leaders.”
Reddy said that CCTV cameras were already installed in about 20,000 temples.
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