VIJAYAWADA: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) will organise ‘Haindava Sankharavam’ at Kesarapalli near Vijayawada on January 5 demanding resolution to its five long pending demands. The event is expected to draw over three lakh people from all over the State. The VHP is seeking complete autonomy for Hindu temples for their development. The temples, which are now under the control of government, are facing neglect and mismanagement, it alleged.
Speaking to mediapersons on Friday, Gokaraju Gangaraju, central vice-president of VHP, and president of Haindava Sankharavam Sabha, said, “We are organising the programme to demand complete autonomy to temples from the government control. Temples should be managed by the Hindu community like other religious institutions, which are allowed to function without any government control. We want the management of temples to be placed in the hands of religious councils, not politicians or atheists.”
He furthers said, “The condition of temples under the government control is appalling. We are holding Haindava Sankharavam to raise awareness among people, and demand that temples be freed from political interference. Hindus should have the same freedom as other religious communities in managing their places of worship.” Gummala Satyam, secretary of Bhagyanagar Kshetra Sanghatana, asserted that the movement is not limited to the State. “We submitted a charter of demands to the Governors of all States seeking hand over of temple management to an independent religious board. Just as there is no government control over churches and mosques, there should be no control over Hindu temples,” he said.
Tanikella Satya Ravikumar, convener of Haindava Sankharavam, likened the current movement to past struggles for Hindu religious freedom. “This is the beginning of a great movement for autonomy to temples across India. The meeting marks the first step towards achieving temple autonomy and preserving Hindu culture,” he averred.
Durga Prasad Raju, treasurer of State VHP, said, “We have made arrangements for over 50,000 people. We expect participants from all the 650 mandals and 13,000 villages in the State.”