PTI

Ahmedabad, Nov 21: Under pressure from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has put on hold the demolition drive against unauthorised temples in the state capital of Gandhinagar.

"Chief minister reviewed the demolition drive against unauthorised structures this morning and has decided to put it on hold for time being," sources in the office of chief minister said.

The decision comes after a meeting between VHP President Ashok Singhal and Modi earlier in the day. The VHP had demanded that the demolition drive against temples should be immediately stopped.

In the meeting, the VHP leader had conveyed his displeasure over the issue of demolition of temples in state capital and also arrest of VHP worker Ashwin Patel," Secretary of VHP Ranchhod Bharwad said.

On Thursday, after visiting the sites where temples were demolished, Singhal had criticised the BJP government, saying that it was repeating the act of Mehmood Ghazni, who had destroyed a number of temples in medieval Gujarat.

The state government authorities are on demolition spree in Gandhinagar, in the past one month more than 200 'illegal' temples have been razed here.

VHP is also up in arms against the ruling BJP over the arrest of VHP's state Joint Secretary Ashwin Patel, who was booked on the eve of Diwali for sending defamatory SMSes against Modi.

Gandhinagar district collector Sanjiv Kumar said, "We would not be doing anything as of now".