VHP seeks law to free Hindu temples from government control

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has urged the Centre to enact a law to free Hindu temples and religious institutions from government control in states.

It also appealed to the government to enact a “strong” central law to stop illegal religious conversion in the country.

The central leadership will meet Hindu seers and saints to seek their guidance to evolve an alternate control structure, where temples will be administered by the Hindu samaj.

As part of this guidance seeking program, a team comprising Alok Kumar, the central working president along with joint general secretary Sthanumalayan, organising secretary (South India) P M Nagarajan and VHP workers from Tamil Nadu is meeting saints and sadhus to seek their blessings and guidance on the long-standing issue, said a statement from the VHP.

The saffron outfit, in its central meeting held in July 2021, had passed a resolution to enact a central law to free Hindu temples and religious institutions from government control. The board of trustees is of the view that Hindu temples and religious institutions should be freed from government control, the statement read.

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“Hindu devotees visit temples to internalise the sanctity and serenity of the place and contribute their offerings so that the educational institutions, health services, festivals, religious and social projects/activities offered by the temples can run in an apt manner. However, the irony is how state governments get their hands on many such rich temples of the country and spend the contributions of devotees illogically and arbitrarily,” VHP's International Working President Alok Kumar said in a statement.

VHP has also urged the Tamil Nadu government to drop plans to monetise the temple ornaments by melting the ornaments into gold bars, which were donated by millions of devotees to the temples over the years.

The organisation also called upon the Tamil Nadu government to enact an anti-conversion law to prevent conversions of Hindus by various other religious institutions under threats, pressure, allurements and false promises.

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