New Delhi, Dec 26 (UNI) The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Thursday announced that it will hold a country-wide public awareness campaign from January 5 next year, to free Hindu temples from the control of governments.
Addressing a press conference here, VHP organising General Secretary Milind Parande said that all the state governments should detach themselves from the control, management and daily works of temples as their “activities are discriminatory towards the Hindu society”.
“Under the leadership of the revered Sant Samaj and the leading figures of the Hindu society, we are going to start a countrywide public awareness campaign in this regard from January 05, 2025,” Parande said.
Parande said that after independence, the temples should have been handed over to the Hindu society but several state governments ignored Articles 12, 25 and 26 of the Constitution.
“When no mosque or church is under their control, then why this discrimination against Hindus?” he added.
The organising General Secretary said that the work of management and control of temples should now be handed over to the devoted and capable people of the Hindu society.
Parande said that VHP has formed a ‘think tank’ comprising of eminent Supreme Court lawyers, retired Chief Justices of High Courts, people of the Sant Samaj and workers of VHP, which has prepared a draft after studying the protocols of management of temples and to resolve any kind of dispute related to it.
He said, “It has also been kept in view as to when the governments return the temples to the society, what would be the protocols to accept it and under what provisions. That is why some persons holding constitutional posts will constitute a Dharmic Council at state levels comprising Dharmacharyas, retired judges, retired government officials and eminent people of the society who are experts in Hindu scriptures and Aagam Shaastras and rituals”.
These state level councils would elect the district-level councils which will choose the trustees of the local temples and various sections of the society along with scheduled castes and tribes would participate, he added.
Parande said that last week, the VHP had met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and handed over a draft of such a proposed law to him for his consideration.
Earlier, on 30th September, VHP had submitted a memorandum to Governors of all the states of the country and requested their governments to withdraw from the management of temples.
The VHP organising general secretary urged that before handing over the temples to the Hindu society all non- Hindus employed in temples be removed, only practising Hindus should be employed in the worship, offerings and service of god, no politician should be appointed to the Trust Boards and management of temples, encroachments and constructions made by non-Hindus and illegal constructions on temple lands should be removed and income of temples should be spent only for the propagation of Hindu Dharma.
