The Serdang MIC Youth has urged the state government to shelve a decision by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council to demolish seven temples in Serdang pending a meeting with Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo.
Its chief T. Mohan said the division had sought a meeting with Dr Khir in June to discuss the issue but it had not received any reply.
“We are strongly against the decision to demolish the temples as some of them have been in existence for several decades,” he said.
On Aug 14, the municipal council decided to demolish the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Puchong Jaya, Sri Maha Aathi Amman (Kampung Baru, Seri Kembangan), Sri Maha Kaliamman (USJ 20) and Sri Samudeswari along the Kesas Highway.
Three other temples are in Puchong. They are slated to be torn down between Aug 21 and Sept 9.
Mohan said the temples, which once sat on rubber estates, were relocated to government land by the developers.
On Tuesday, the Youth wing led a delegation of 200 people, including members of the Hindu Religious Association Committee of Serdang, to hand over a memorandum to Datuk Mohd Nor Bador, the executive director of Selangor Housing and Property Board, who accepted it on behalf of Dr Khir.
A copy of the memorandum had been handed to Selangor state executive councillor Datuk K. Sivalingam.
Mohan, who is also the national MIC Youth social and welfare bureau chairman, said this was not the right time to demolish the temples as the general election was approaching.
“The action of the municipal council will only create anger among Hindus. This would pose a problem when the MIC campaigns for Barisan Nasional to garner the support of Indians.''
“The opposition has also been campaigning that no Hindu temple has been demolished in Kelantan and Terengganu as compared to those under the rule of Barisan,” he said.
Mohan urged the state government
and local councils to discuss the fate of the temples with the Hindu Sangam,
the temple committee and the MIC divisions.