Jalgaon : Maharashtra Government has taken over big temples on the grounds that the management of these temples is not proper. Just as the Government has established a ‘Waqf Board’ for the protection of mosques and madrassas, why does the Government not establish a ‘Hindu Board’ for the protection and management of temples and hand them over to the board instead of taking them over ? During a Press Conference Supreme Court advocate Vishnushankar Jain, who is fighting for ‘Gyanvapi’ in Kashi (Varanasi), demanded that officials associated with Hindu Dharma such as Shankaracharyas, Mahamandaleshwars, Mathadhipathis, etc. be given representation on this board and given the status of Public Servant. National Spokesperson of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti Mr Ramesh Shinde was also present during the Press Conference. This Press Conference was held in the backdrop of the ongoing State level ‘Maharashtra Mandir Nyas Parishad’ of temple trustees at Jalgaon.
Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain further said that in the year 1995, the then Union Government passed the unconstitutional ‘Waqf Act’ to appease Muslims. Based on that, the members of the Waqf Board were given the status of Public Servants. Except Muslims, no other community has been given the status of Public Servants. After the Waqf Board claims any property, the property is surveyed. Thereby the Wakf Board is empowered to register the property directly with the Registrar as Wakf Property. There is no provision to inform the owner of that land while doing so. In the year 2005, the Wakf Board has also declared the Taj Mahal as a Wakf property, said Advocate Jain.
Temples are being allotted to politicians to please them ! – Ramesh Shinde, National Spokesperson, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti
The Government has taken over 4 lakh temples of Hindus. Earlier, politicians who did not get a place in the State Cabinet would be appeased by making them Chair-person of some Corporation. Now these leaders are given a temple. Thousands of acres of land belonging to Pandharpur temple, which was taken over by the Government, was not at all under the control of the Government. Due to the petition of the Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad and the efforts of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, 1021 acres of land has been returned to the temple. The legal battle by the Committee in this regard continues. The donation box of the temple at Tuljapur was being auctioned publicly. There has been corruption of crores of Rupees associated with the gold and silver accumulated in the donation box. The Court-appointed inquiry committee has held 16 officers, employees and auctioneers guilty. The then Government took an inappropriate stand that no action should be initiated against these corrupt people. National spokesperson of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti Mr Ramesh Shinde has warned the Government that the Samiti will continue its fight in this regard and no corrupt individuals will be spared.
