Rising temple pleas due to Muslim failure to handover Ayodhya, Kashi, Mathura: VHP

On Bhagwat’s statement, Parande said, “Earlier, Mohan Bhagwat ji had spoken about Kashi and Mathura and his (latest) statement should be understood in that context.”

When asked to comment on certain statements by some Hindu religious figures that have run contrary to Bhagwat’s advice, Parande told The Indian Express, “We don’t comment on saints.”

On December 19, at an event in Pune, Bhagwat underlined that Ram Temple in Ayodhya was a “matter of faith” for Hindus, but asserted that it was “unacceptable” to rake up “such new issues on a daily basis” simply because of “extreme hatred, malice, enmity and suspicion”.

Since the statement, some Hindu religious figures have said that the Sangh must not tell the Hindu society what to do.

Speaking on government control of temples, Parande said, “We are going to start a countrywide public awareness campaign in this regard from January 5, 2025. The call for this campaign will be given in a special and huge gathering of lakhs of people called ‘Haindava Shankhaaraavam’ to be organized in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.”

The organisation has also prepared a draft law for handover of temples to society and their subsequent management. Parande said that a delegation from the organisation last week met Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu and gave him the draft law for his consideration.

The VHP also made public a list of demands that it said should be fulfilled before the handover of temples takes place.

These include removing all non-Hindus employed in temples and endowment departments; only practising Hindus with faith being employed in the worship, offerings and service of God; bar on appointment of politicians or persons associated with any political party on the Trust Boards and management of temples; only Hindus being allowed to have shops inside and outside the temples; and all encroachments and constructions made by non-Hindus and all encroachments and illegal constructions whatsoever on temple lands should be removed.

Parande also raised the issue of demographic imbalance. “There are four reasons for demographic imbalance in the country. One is illegal immigration from Myanmar and Bangladesh. Second is falling fertility rate among Hindus. Third is conversion by Christians and fourth is Love Jihad by Muslims. Only after we address these issues will we be able to correct the demographic imbalance,” he said.