Andhra BJP president Somu Verraju was placed under house arrest as he planned to visit Antarvedi where a century-old chariot burnt in a suspicious fire accident.

The BJP leader lashed out at the Andhra Pradesh government over attacks on Hindu temples and that the current dispensation was not serious about addressing the issues related to attacks on the Hindu temples. He said ever since the YSRCP rode to power, the government has been funding the construction of churches and the attacks on the Hindu temple have increased.

Stating that the government was playing with the emotions of the people of Andhra Pradesh, Lanka Dinakar, another BJP leader, demanded a probe into the burning of the Antarvedi temple chariot. The chariot of the famous Sri Lakshmi Narasimha temple in Antarvedi of East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh was gutted in a fire mishap on September 6.

He said the attacks on Hindu religious sites are on the rise in the state and accused Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy’s government for not taking it seriously.

Meanwhile, former CM and TDP president Chandrababu Naidu demanded a CBI probe into the incident. “Andhra Pradesh has been a progressive, pluralistic State where all faiths have thrived & co-existed peacefully. However, under the tyrannical YSRCP regime, people of AP are now fearful of a continuous state-sponsored attack on their faiths. More than 20 such attacks have occurred,” the former CM tweeted.

“From charring of sacred chariots at Antarvedi & Bitragunta to idols being demolished at Pithapuram, from attacks on priests like Devarampadu incident to propagation of other religions under TTD mgmt & illegal takeover of Simhachalam temple board there seems to be a pattern,” Naidu said in another tweet.

Andhra Pradesh has been a progressive, pluralistic State where all faiths have thrived & co-existed peacefully. However, under the tyrannical YSRCP regime, people of AP are now fearful of a continuous state-sponsored attack on their faiths. More than 20 such attacks have occurred pic.twitter.com/rogADCo6eq

— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) September 9, 2020