Congress Leader Calls for Relocating Dargah From Vemulawada Temple Premises
Devotees divided as letter seeks removal of dargah from temple site; officials urged to act fairly
Karimnagar: As the state government prepares to undertake the reconstruction of the Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy temple, also known as Dakshina Kashi, following an initiative by Government Chief Whip and local MLA Aadi Srinivas, the presence of a dargah within the temple premises has sparked controversy in Vemulawada, Rajanna Sircilla district.
A letter, purportedly written on behalf of common devotees and addressed to temple executive officer K. Vinod Reddy, requesting the relocation of the dargah from the temple premises during the temple reconstruction, has gone viral on social media in the erstwhile Karimnagar district.
It is to be noted here that a few months back, a woman who pretended to be Aghori, created a stir by announcing that she will demolish the dargah. When she tried to enter the temple, the police took her into custody. When she refused to exit her vehicle, the police used a towing van to seize her car and transferred her to the police in Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, the locals were shocked when they learnt that the letter in the name of a common devotee was written by an executive member of the Pradesh Congress Committee, an advocate named Burra Raviteja Goud. However, Raviteja said that he wrote it as a Hindu and a common devotee at the request of those who follow Hindu tradition.
He also said that, according to Hindu tradition, there is no historical evidence of tombs being present in Hindu temples nor did he read about such instances in sacred books. Even the Quran, the holy book of Muslims also tells that Allah is one and only God and the Muslims should worship only to him not along with Hindu Gods.
Raviteja suggested that the reconstruction of the temple should not undermine the religious beliefs and practices of both religions and recommended that the dargah be relocated and constructed outside the temple to prevent future disputes by resolving the issue harmoniously with the consensus of elders from both religions.
He said that he wrote a letter under Article 19 (1) (A) of the Constitution, which grants him certain rights and a sent copy of the letter to the district collector Sandeep Kumar Jha as well as the Chief Minister’s Office.
