New Delhi: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Tuesday (September 25) announced a country-wide campaign to ‘free’ temples from government control.
Reacting at the aftermath of the controversy over the Tirupati Balaji Prasadam, the VHP said that government control on temples reflected a mindset of ‘Muslim invaders’ and ‘colonial British,’ reported The Indian Express.
Governments are using temples to loot their wealth and to accommodate politicians who could not get a place in the government. The common link between all these episodes is that these are all temples under the control of governments. The only stable solution to the problem is freeing the temples from the control of governments and them being handed over to the society. The society will manage the temples under the guidance of saints,” said VHP joint general secretary Surendra Jain at a press conference.
Jain claimed that after the Tirupati incident, reports of adulteration were coming in from several other Hindu temples including Sabarimala in Kerala.
“It appears there is a pattern. Muslim invaders destroyed temples and looted them. The British were smarter and took control of temples. This way they established an institutional system to loot the temples. Unfortunately, despite Independence, our politicians could not free themselves of this colonial mindset. Governments taking control of temples is a reflection of the same mindset. This loot must end now. Our slogan thus is: Hindu Money for Hindu Cause,” said Jain.
