Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s demand from Sukhu government – ’37 temples of Himachal should be handed over to Hindus’

Vishwa Hindu Parishad has made a scathing attack on the Himachal Pradesh government during a press conference held in Shimla. Council’s Central Organization General Secretary Milind Parande clearly said that government control over temples in the state should be ended and they should be handed over to the Hindu society. VHP alleges that while places of worship of other religions are run by their community.

At the same time, 37 major temples in Himachal are still under government control. Calling it ‘religious inequality’, the council demanded that the management of these temples be returned to the society. He said that the income of temples reaches hundreds of crores every year. It should be used only for religious and cultural purposes and not for administrative expenses. He said that even if Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power in Himachal Pradesh in the future, he will loudly put forward this demand before them.

In the press conference, Council’s Central Organization General Secretary Milind Parande also raised the issue of ‘Land Jihad’ loudly. He alleged that illegal occupation and construction is taking place on government land in many areas of the state, on which immediate action is necessary. Citing the example of Sanjauli, Mandi and other areas, VHP demanded strict action from the government.

VHP termed the increasing incidents of alleged love jihad and conversion in Himachal as the reason for social imbalance. The council says that this is increasing insecurity and anger in the society, and the government is not showing seriousness on this. The Council gave a clear warning that if the government did not take concrete action on these issues, the organization would launch massive public awareness campaigns and agitations.

According to VHP, more than Rs 200 crore offerings were made in these temples every year. The money is given for temple development, langar, service and other development works of the temple by the devotees who have their faith in Sanatan culture. According to government data, the annual income of these 37 temples in 2024 was Rs 200.59 crore. An amount of Rs 346.26 crore was in the fixed deposit account of the temples. There is also enough gold and silver in his treasury.