Jagan slams AP NDA regime for Kasinayana Temple demolition

Vijayawada: Former chief minister and YSRC president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy emphasised on Thursday that Haindava Dharma has slipped to its lowest ebb under the NDA coalition administration in Andhra Pradesh, citing the demolition of the sacred Kasinayana Kshetra.

Taking to social media X, the YSRC president recalled that though the centre had on August 7, 2023 ordered that the construction work on Kasinayana Kshetra be stopped, the then government, led by him, stalled the move initiated by the union environment and forests ministry.

Jagan said, “As Chief Minister I wrote a letter on August 18 to union minister Bhupendra Yadav to exempt the 12.98-hectare land of Kasinayana Kshetra, as the state government will comply with all the conditions without fail. With that the centre yielded to our request and stalled its move. During our five-year tenure, there had been no further attempts on this front. This is the commitment we have towards temples and religious affairs.”

The YSRC chief said the coalition government had reversed this position within six months of taking office. “The state has seen bulldozers raze a renowned temple under the government’s supervision, with orders from the collector, overseen by the RDO, and directives of special chief secretary at the behest of Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan and Chandrababu,” Jagan Mohan Reddy pointed out.

Labelling the demolition a “barbaric attack” on Hindu Dharma driven by “arrogant power,” the former chief minister challenged the government to respond by presenting irrefutable evidence.

Jagan accused the coalition government of hypocrisy, claiming that only they issue orders, demolish with their own hands, and then spin tales to cover up their act.” In this regard, he cited other controversies under the current regime, including the Tirumala laddu propaganda and Tirumala stampede. He said all these are evidence of the NDA coalition government’s failure to uphold the sanctity of temples in Andhra Pradesh.

Targeting the Deputy Chief Minister, who oversees the forest department, Jagan remarked, “A self-proclaimed Sanatana Dharma advocate hasn’t said a word about demolition under his own department. Does he have any right to speak on Hindu Dharma?”