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.”
