Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has ordered a ban on temple demolition in the state with immediate effect. Modi's move came after his meeting with VHP President Ashok Singhal on Friday.

Singhal met Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to convey his concerns about the demolition of large number of temples in Gandhinagar.

The state Government in the past week has brought down over 90 religious structures, mostly temples, annoying saffron groups — VHP, Bajrang Dal and others — and a section of politically inclined sadhus.

The Government action has displeased the saffron workers to such an extent that VHP’s national leader Ashok Singhal, who was here to do spot assessment of the situation, had to calm their frayed nerves.

Singhal had been trying to broker peace between the saffron outfits which are at loggerheads, sources in the BJP and VHP said.

Singhal had criticised the BJP Government, saying that it was repeating the act of Mohammad Gazani, who had destroyed a number of temples in medieval Gujarat.