By Staff Reporter
HJS members with Forest Minister Shri. Babanrao Pachpute
Mumbai: “Maharashtra Government has already taken over a few temples in the State but it is not planning to take over all temples under the proposed new Act. You will be invited and your opinion will be taken into account when draft of the new Act will be prepared,” the above assurance was given by Shri. Babanrao Pachpute, the Forest Minister and leader of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to delegation comprising members of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) and Maharashtra State Gurav Samaj (MSGS) when they called on him to submit representation. In this delegation, there were leaders like Shri. Dattajirao Masurkar, Mayor of Khopoli Municipality and the Vice-President of MSGS, Shri. Ramesh Shinde, the spokesperson of HJS for Maharashtra, Shri. Shivaji Vatkar, coordinator of HJS for Mumbai district, Shri. Rajan Shinde, district-sevak of Sanatan Sanstha for Mumbai, Thane and Raigad, Shri. Vinay Bhave, a vaidya and seeker of Sanatan Sanstha, Shri. Mohan Birajdar, city-chief of Shiv Sena for Latur and District Vice-President of Gurav Samaj, Dr. Gajanan Desai, area general secretary of NCP and a few devout Hindus.
Shri. Ramesh Shinde said that all Hindus especially members of Warakari Sect are very unhappy over the proposed Bill. They feel that temples are their place of worship and if they are taken over by the Government, it will destroy their faith. Shri. Pachpute said that he had no information on the issue till that day; but till he is there in office, such anti-Hindu Acts will not be passed. Contrary to your feeling, he said, the Government will not be taking over all temples. Temples visited by devotees on large scale where lot of funds are collected, will be taken over so that devotees can be given more facilities and utilization of funds is also done properly. Regarding the anti-Superstitions Bill, he said that the objectionable clauses were removed from the draft and no injustice will be done to people on passing this Act. The purpose of the Act is to eradicate certain bad practices and blind faith from society.
Read about other HJS Campaigns to Save Temples from Government’s Siege
