Ritesh Tandon, a Democratic House candidate who is running for election to the US House to represent Californias 17th Congressional District is demanding state Senator Aisha Wahab take action on recent vandalism targeting Hindu temples.Tandon claimed that several temples were vandalized over the past two weeks in California and there has been no action against the destruction of temples. He even said that it might be time to consider a recall, referring to Ms Wahab.Indian-origin politician stages protestTandon also led a protest rally at Sen. Wahabs office, seeking a meeting on the issue, but says the office was closed despite being within working hours.Today, we held a protest rally in front of Senator Wahabs office, seeking a meeting with her or her staff. Unfortunately, despite it being within office hours on a working day, the office was closed. This situation highlights the use of your tax dollars and suggests it might be time to consider a recall, he wrote on X - formerly known as Twitter.In the last two weeks, six Indian temples have been vandalized, five of which are in Wahab District. There has been no response from Senator Aisha Wahab @SenAishaWahab, @aishabbwahab. Today, we held a protest rally in front of Senator Wahabs office, seeking a meeting with her or… pic.twitter.com/VI1CcOJNBf— Ritesh Tandon US Congressional Candidate, CA 17 (@tandon4congress) January 20, 2024Senator condemns attacks after earlier silence Earlier last week, Wahab had released a statement on Twitter condemning the temple vandalisms across the Bay Area. The ongoing vandalism of Hindu temples across the Bay area must stop. There is no room for such hatred in our communities, she wrote on X.Official statement regarding vandalism of Vijays Sherawali Temple in Hayward reported on January 6th. pic.twitter.com/WnDCVXqlAE— Senator Aisha Wahab (@SenAishaWahab) January 8, 2024But Tandon and activists accuse the Senator of speaking out only after pressure mounted demanding she address the attacks. Her earlier silence further stirred resentment in the Hindu community.California Hindu community demands justiceThe incidents include a Hindu temple in Hayward defaced with pro-Khalistan graffiti last month. Prior vandalisms saw Swaminarayan temples in Newark tagged with anti-India messages.The incidents have raised ethnic tensions as Californias Hindu minority increasingly demands justice and accountability in finding and prosecuting the vandals terrorizing their communitys places of worship.
