Andhra Pradesh: BJP-Jana Sena's Rath Yatra deferred amid Panchayat elections

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has announced rath yatra to protect temples in the wake of attacks on temples and idols of Hindu deities in Andhra Pradesh along with support of the Jana Sena party from Kapila Tirtha to Ramateertham on February 4 has been deferred. The BJP said in a statement on Tuesday that it was postponing the rath yatra.

AP BJP president Somu Veerraju has announced that the program will be postponed in the wake of the ongoing panchayat elections. He said the dates for the rath yatra would be revealed after the local body elections. However, attacks on temples and destruction of idols have been a hot topic in the AP for the past few days. Political controversy is also brewing over this.

In Andhra Pradesh, politics have turned religious than ever before with war of words raging between the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties. Meanwhile, the state government has transferred the case on the destruction of the statues from the CID to the SIT. It was in this context that the BJP decided to launch a rath yatra. However, the rath yatra was postponed due to Panchayat elections.