Shimla, April 30 (PTI) The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Thursday demanded that the Himachal Pradesh government hand over the control of temples in the state to Hindu communities.
Addressing a press conference here, Milind Parande, VHP’s central organization general secretary, alleged that while places of worship for other religions are managed by their community, 37 major temples in Himachal Pradesh are still under government control.
Terming this as religious inequality, he demanded that the management of these temples should be handed over to the Hindu community.
“Temples’ income reaches in hundreds of crores every year. Therefore, this should be used only for religious and cultural purposes, not for administrative expenses.
“More than Rs 200 crore is donated to these temples every year. Devotees who believe in Sanatan culture donate the money for temple development, langar, seva, and other temple development works. According to government data, the annual income of these 37 temples in 2024 was Rs 200.59 crore. The temples had Rs 346.26 crore in fixed deposits. Their treasury also contains substantial gold and silver” he said.
Parande also raised concerns over alleged ‘land jihad’ and claimed that illegal encroachments and constructions are going on government land in many areas of the state which should immediately be dealt with strictness.
Citing the rising incidence of alleged love jihad and religious conversions in Himachal Pradesh, he said that if the government doesn’t take concrete action on these issues, the organization will launch a massive public awareness campaign and movement. PTI COR ZMN
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