“It is high time to liberate Hindu temples from government control,” said Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) working president Shri Alok Kumar on December 20, 2022, while addressing a press conference in New Delhi.
“As per the data given to us by Acharya Sabha, over two lakh temples across India are under government control. These temples give Rs 1,80,000 crore to the governments per year. When the governments don’t run mosques, churches and gurudwaras, why do they take control over Hindu temples?,” Alok Kumar asked.
VHP working president also stressed the need to create separate ministries at the centre and states to ensure the sanctity of the Dharmic-pilgrimage sites.
Shri Alok Kumar said, “Religious pilgrimage sites cannot be developed like tourist destinations because they are way different from each other in their nature. Hence, it is our demand that a separate ministry should be created for the development of religious pilgrimage sites.”
Speaking about ‘love jihad’ and ‘religious conversion’, Alok Kumar said, “VHP through Dharma Raksha Abhiyan will not only awaken the nationals against religious conversions and love jihad being done, but will also free the nation from this menace.”
Notably, the 10-day campaign, Dharma Raksha Abhiyan has started from December 21 to December 31, 2022.
While elaborating the campaign details, Shri Alok Kumar said, “VHP has issued a clarion call against the undermining agenda that threatens the national unity and territorial integrity of Bharat. The society now looks for a permanent solution. The organisation will create mass awareness through all possible means of communication”.
“Even our Supreme Court is concerned about religious conversions — by allurement, by fear and by fraud. Strict laws should be made against conversion,” he added.
VHP claims that since 1966, the organisation has saved 62 lakh Hindus from religious conversion and brought 9 lakh back to their original fold with respect. “Around 25 thousand Hindu daughters were also saved from getting trapped in the clutches of love jihadists,” he informed.
Shri Alok Kumar said, “Through a special campaign, Sansad Sampark Abhiyan, we are meeting with Members of Parliament from all over the country to draw their attention towards the issues of Population imbalance, liberate Hindu temples from government control and creation of separate ministries at the centre and states for Hindu pilgrimage sites.” VHP has reiterated the demand for the enactment of central laws to control the population and put a curb on illegal religious conversions. The VHP is of the firm belief that a central law to control population is the need of the hour. Shri Kumar said that VHP functionaries had discussed these issues with a total of 286 parliamentarians cutting across party lines, including 225 Lok Sabha and 61 Rajya Sabha so far under the Sansad Sampark Abhiyan in a bid to build a consensus. VHP had also met with MPs from minority communities from Kerala and Jammu & Kashmir.
“On the issue of population control, however, some of the parliamentarians belonging to minority communities felt that enactment of a law would not be a right way to address the issue and this should be resolved through advocacy and campaigns,” Shri Alok Kumar further added.
Also, the VHP maintained, “The marriageable age is an important factor in the present time and it supports the government’s idea of making 21 as marriageable age for both men and women.
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