Insta
Vishwa Hindu Parishad members at a rally. (Representative Image)
Alok Kumar, International Working President of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), has demanded that temples across the country be freed of government control. Kumar said that such are the laws in certain states that there isn't even a single Hindu devotee in the temple committees. Only bureaucrats are running the show in governance of temple operations.
"Not just in South India but in West and North India, temples are under the government's control," the VHP top leader said in an exclusive interview with IANS. "The same is the case in Uttarakhand. The government's job cannot be to run temples. There should be a system that has transparency. The government should not control and regulate the temples and devotees must have a greater say in the affairs of the temples."
Kumar said the present government at the Centre is sensitive to this. "In the future, temples are expected to be freed of government control. State governments should themselves take the initiative for this. There is a separate system for gurudwaras and there is a different system in the Wakf board as well. There should be participation of devotees in the operation of temples too. There is not a single devotee in the committees tha run temples in many states."
Kumar expressed dissatisfaction over what he sees as excessive government involvement in the running of temples and use of temple funds in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, among other states.
Kumar further said, there will be no dearth of funds for the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The Vishva Hindu Parishad will contact 11 lakh families and 55 crore people in four lakh villages across the country to collect funds for the temple.
On the question of donations for the temple, Kumar said, "Somebody had suggested to me that he would want to fund the entire cost of constructing the temple on his own. So I said then people will know it as your temple and not the Ram temple. Therefore, the temple must be built with the economic cooperation of all Indians."
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest