With its goal of building a Ram temple at Ayodhya having been accomplished, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has announced the next items on its agenda, including the release of Hindu shrines from government control, repeal of the Place of Worship law that puts a status quo on the character of a religious shrine, a common civil code, and resolution of the Mathura and Kashi disputes. This was announced by Milind Parande, general secretary of the VHP at a press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Committee comes together to free Hindu temples from govt control
Parande said that a committee formed of retired High Court judges, Supreme Court lawyers, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad members have come together to formulate a plan to free Hindu temples from government control. “Hindu money for Hindu cause: this is our aim. Donations made to temples should be used for Hindu causes,” said Parande who added that the opinion of the Hindu community will be sought to create a process for the management of Hindu shrines. All activities, including welfare programmes, conducted by Hindu temples should be considered religious services, and not just pujas, he said.
UCC
About plans for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Parande said he congratulated the Uttarakhand government for displaying political willpower to introduce the law in the state. “There should be the same law for everyone. The country’s Constitution says this. Most laws are common for everybody, only marriage, divorce, and succession are out of it. Common law on these subjects will help women and children the most,” said Parande.
Kashi and Mathura shrine disputes
On the Kashi and Mathura shrine disputes, Parande said that he suggested that Muslims should hand over the site to the Hindus. “It will be an intelligent thing to do. The Muslim community should not listen to leaders who oppose this solution,” said Parande. When asked whether there were plans to start a public campaign for the two shrines on the lines of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, Parande said there did not seem to be a reason for that. “We feel that we can find a solution with the help of the courts, and looking at the progress in the cases a solution should come early,” he said, adding that the court permission for prayers at the Gyanvapi should be looked at as an auspicious sign that Hindus will get control of the site.
Campaign for CAA & repeal of the Place of Worship Act
The VHP said the organisation will campaign for the repeal of the Place of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, enacted to prohibit conversion of any place of worship and to provide for the maintenance of the religious character of a place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947. “The law should go. There was no need for the 1991 law. You cannot say that we cannot talk about Kashi or Mathura because this law is there,” said Parande.
The VHP said that it will campaign for the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act which will help members of persecuted minorities, especially Hindus in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, protection in India. To achieve its goals, the VHP, which has completed 60 years, plans to expand its presence to 800 of the 1100 districts in the country, compared to 400 now. The organisation plans to expand the number of members or workers at the grassroots, called Hitchintaks, from 72 lakhs to 10 million.
On the VHP agenda
- Uniform Civil Code, at the national level and in all states
- Resolution of Krishna Janmabhoomi (Mathura) and Gyanvapi Masjid (Kashi-Varanasi)
- Repeal of Place of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991
- Citizenship (Amendment) Act
- Freeing Hindu temples from government control and giving the places to the community
- Stop non-Hindus from getting benefits and senior posts in Hindu religious institutions
