A fresh controversy has erupted in Tamil Nadu after AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) announced that, if voted back to power in 2026, his government would issue pattas (ownership rights) to those residing on temple lands. The promise has drawn strong criticism from Hindu organisations and temple activists who view it as a political move that undermines temple sanctity and property rights.
Speaking at a public meeting in Orathanadu, Thanjavur, on July 23 as part of his state-wide tour, EPS said: “When I was the Chief Minister, I announced a scheme to make poor people living on temple lands the rightful owners by having the government pay the value of the land. A stay was obtained against the scheme. After AIADMK forms the government again in 2026, steps will be taken to issue pattas to people living on these land parcels.”
This scheme was previously halted by a division bench of the Madras High Court, comprising Justice M. Sathyanarayanan and Justice N. Seshasayee, which stayed part of the AIADMK government’s Government Order (GO) dated August 30, 2019. The court asked the state to clarify how it would implement the order, despite lacking details on encroachments of the 44,000-odd acres of temple lands in Tamil Nadu.
Justice Seshasayee observed: “Any act that involves the loss of temple properties for purposes other than those intended for the benefit or necessity of the temple may well contravene the spirit behind Section 34 of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act of 1959.”
Notably, the DMK too had promised in its 2016 election manifesto to hand over temple lands to squatters.
However, Hindu organisations such as Hindu Munnani and the BJP have consistently opposed such moves. They argue that if the intent is to help the poor, political parties and the government should offer their own land, not land that rightfully belongs to temples. Hindu Munnani called this yet another step in the DMK’s alleged bias towards Christian interests, sarcastically asking whether naming a road after a bigot would also be considered fair.
Temple activist T.R. Ramesh took to social media platform X to condemn EPS’s announcement: “Now @EPSTamilNadu promises PATTA to encroachers of temple lands after @AIADMKOfficial comes to power in 2026. In 2019, it was I, along with Allikuttai Sri Radhakrishnan, who filed Public Interest Litigations before the Madras High Court challenging the unlawful and unholy Government Order No. 318 passed by the AIADMK Government—to grant pattas to encroachers of temple lands.
Why should a government support violators of the law, frauds and intruders—encroachers who should be evicted from temple lands? Politicians are ready to sell even their kith and kin for the sake of votes. They care very little about temple welfare.
Ultimately – its vote bank politics – at the cost of Temple Welfare –
Now @EPSTamilNadu promises PATTA to encroachers of temple lands after @AIADMKOfficial comes to power in 2026 (😂🤣)In 2019 it was I with Allikuttai Sri Radhakrishnan, another temple activist, who… https://t.co/tLRjijURzS
— trramesh (@trramesh) July 22, 2025
In another tweet, he clarified: “Sir, by the governing body of the temple, you mean the Board of Trustees. Even they CANNOT take decisions to sell temple properties. They are only authorised to administer them in accordance with temple traditions and general law. The trustees DO NOT have the right to sell temple properties.”
Sir, by governing body of the temple, you mean Board of Trustees- even they CANNOT take decisions to sell the temple properties.
They can only administer the properties as per temple traditions and general law.The trustees DO NOT have the right to sell temple… https://t.co/N89RX34gDo
— trramesh (@trramesh) July 23, 2025
Hindu Munnani also issued a strong response: “The speech of EPS is nothing but a political ploy—giving away temple lands to the poor and to squatters. Is this fair?
We strongly condemn AIADMK general secretary E. Palaniswami for announcing pattas for temple lands to the poor and squatters. A case regarding this is still pending from when his government issued the GO in 2019. Clearly, he has not learnt a lesson from that.”
அரசியல் லாபத்திற்காக கோயில் நிலத்தை காவு கொடுக்க எண்ணுவது நியாயமா..??
அதிமுக பொதுச் செயலாளர், எடப்பாடி பழனிசாமி அவர்களுக்கு இந்து முன்னணி கண்டனம்..
தஞ்சை மாவட்டம் ஒரத்தநாட்டில் சுற்றுப்பயணம் செய்த முன்னாள் முதலமைச்சர் எடப்பாடி பழனிச்சாமி அவர்கள், கோயில் நிலத்தில்… pic.twitter.com/nqvj4ox6QT
— Hindu Munnani (@hindumunnani_tn) July 24, 2025
Meanwhile, VHP leaders stated: “In Tamil Nadu, Dravidian leaders are keen on alienating temple properties—handing them to squatters, politicians and even non-Hindu community members—and misusing temple revenues for purposes other than those they were endowed for.
The HR & CE Department, which is supposed to protect temple lands, is in collusion with political masters acting against the very mandate of their role. This would not happen in the case of Waqf or Church properties.
Unless temples are freed from government control, they will continue to suffer losses.”
