NEW DELHI: Vishva Hindu Parishad, seriously agitated by the scandalous defilement of the sacred laddu prasadam – an iconic symbol of faith for millions of devotees – in Tirupati temple, has said today that it is about time governmentalisation of temples were replaced by the socialisation of temples! VHP’s Central Joint General Secretary Dr Surendra Jain also said that a high-level judicial inquiry should be conducted into this unpardonable mischief and sin and the culprits must be given the harshest punishment.
Along with this, by involving the devotees of God, such a system should also be ensured in which there is no possibility of such conspiracy. He said that devout Hindus have immense faith in the purity of the Mahaprasad received from Tirupati Balaji temple. Unfortunately, very sad and heart-rending news is coming about the adulteration of beef tallow, pig fat and fish oil in the A2 ghee used to prepare this Mahaprasad. The Hindu society of the entire country is enraged and the anger of Hindus is manifesting in different forms. There should be a high level judicial investigation into this unfortunate heinous crime and the culprits should be given exacting punishment as soon as possible.
While addressing a press conference today, Dr Jain said that the Tirupati Balaji temple is run by a board set up by the Andhra Pradesh government. Not only were Hindu beliefs tampered with in the matter of making Mahaprasad there, but there are also painful news of misappropriation and misuse of the Dev Rashi (Pranami offerings) and Devdhan (the Deity’s property or estate) offered by Hindus with utmost devotion by government officials and politicians. Many times, there have been news of grants being given from this holy amount to organizations that attack the Sanatana (eternal) Dharma and convert Hindus. Such news is also being received from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
A few days ago, news came that the previous Congress government of Rajasthan had given Rs 9 crore 82 lakh from the famous Shri Govind Dev Ji temple of Jaipur to an Idgah. These state governments keep misusing the property and income of temples and have been using them for non-Hindu or in other words anti-Hindu activities.
The VHP leader said that in our country, the supremacy of the Constitution is repeatedly invoked, but unfortunately, various ‘secular’ governments are controlling the ‘sacred’ temples, which are the centres of Hindu faith, and committing the most despicable fraud with the sentiments of Hindus under the guise of the Constitution.
The governments that are formed to protect the Constitution are themselves tearing apart the spirit of the Constitution. By taking over temples (‘secular’ cannot take over the ‘sacred’) for their vested interests, they are openly violating Articles 12, 25 and 26 of the Constitution of Bharat whereas the Hon’ble Judiciary has clarified in many cases that governments should stay away from the management of temples and their property.
Even after 77 years of independence, can’t Hindus be allowed to manage their temples? Minorities are allowed to run their religious institutions, but why are Hindus not being given this constitutional right and being discriminated against? It is well known that Muslim invaders looted and destroyed temples.
The British cleverly established control over them and started the process of nonstop looting of them. It is unfortunate that even after 77 years of independence the ‘secular’ governments in Bharat have still been suffering from this colonial mindset and looting the temples of Hindus by taking control over their ‘sacred’ spaces. By taking over more than 400 temples in Tamil Nadu, the anti-Hindu government there is arbitrarily looting and openly robbing the faith and property of Hindus despite the orders of the judiciary. Many big temples there are shown to be in such a loss despite huge offerings that even proper arrangements for their worship material cannot be made. Iftar parties can be given in many temples of Kerala but a huge fee has to be paid for the religious programmes of Hindus.
Dr. Jain said that due to the irregularities being done in Tirupati Balaji and other places, the belief of the Hindu society has become stronger that without freeing their temples from government control, their sanctity cannot be restored. It is an established belief that the property and income of Hindu temples should be used only for the development of temples and Dharmic works of Hindus. “Property of Hindu faith for Hindu works.” This is a universally accepted principle. The reality is that the open looting of the income and property of Hindu temples is done not only by the officials and politicians but sometimes also by their favourite Hindu bashers.
Vishva Hindu Parishad urges all the governments to immediately free all the temples from their illegal and immoral possession and hand them over to Hindu saints and devotees under a certain system. The format of this system has been determined by the revered saints after many years of contemplation and discussion. This format is being successfully used at several places. We are confident that we will get our temples back through mutual discussions and we will not be forced to go for a massive movement.
He announced that right now we will give a memorandum to the governments through the governors of all the states by staging protests. If these governments do not return the Hindu temples to the society, then we will be forced to go for a massive movement. We want “socialization, not governmentalisation” of temples, only then will the faith of Hindus be respected.
