"Anyone who attacks any religious place is a criminal": AIUDF condemns attack on Hindu temple in Canada

Kamrup (Assam) [India], November 5 (ANI): All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA and Party General Secretary Rafiqul Islam on Tuesday condemned the attack on a Hindu temple in Canada and demanded that the Canadian government impose severe punishments on the culprits to deter future attacks on religious institutions.
Speaking to ANI, AIUDF MLA Islam said, "It is unfortunate. We condemn this. As an Indian, We demand that the Canadian government bring the culprits to justice and impose the harshest punishments to deter future attacks on religious temples. Anyone who attacks any religious place is a criminal."
He urged the Central Government to talk to Canadian government to prevent such incidents in future.
"It is the responsibility of our government. The Government of India should talk to the Government of Canada or those who are with them and discuss all these things so that such things do not happen again," he told ANI.
Earlier today, BJP hit out at the Congress party over its 'silence' on the recent attacks on Hindu temples in Canada, saying the party leaders only prioritise vote bank politics over their principles and prefer to remain silent on such important issues.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said that while Congress and its allies speak for Gaza, they have gone "completely silent" for Hindus in Canada and Bangladesh.
Speaking to ANI, Poonawalla said, "You find that the INDI Alliance, especially Priyanka Vadra, Rahul Gandhi and others who cry for Muslims in Gaza, whose alliance tweets and speaks up for Hezbollah and Hamas have gone completely silent when it comes to Hindus in Canada and Bangladesh."
"It shows that for the sake of vote bank politics, these people will put their principles aside and perhaps they consider these radical elements who are attacking Hindus, as their essential vote bank and therefore they will not open their mouths. They will only question Indian Govt, they will remain silent on questioning these fundamentalist elements," he added.
On Sunday, an Indian consular camp at the Hindu Sabha Temple witnessed a "violent disruption" in Brampton, near Toronto. The rise in attacks against Hindu temples has raised deep concerns among the Hindu-Canadian community.
In response, over a thousand Canadian Hindus gathered outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton, Canada on Monday evening (local time) to protest against the repeated attacks on Hindu temples in the country, a day after the temple was attacked by Khalistani extremists.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had strongly condemned the "deliberate attack" and the "cowardly attempts to intimidate" Indian diplomats, adding that New Delhi expects Canadian authorities to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law.
The strong statement by PM Modi came hours after the Ministry of External Affairs condemned the acts of violence perpetrated by extremists and separatists at the Hindu Sabha Temple in Brampton, Ontario.
There has been a string of similar incidents documented in recent years, underscoring a distressing trend of religious intolerance in Canada. (ANI)