VHP Launches Nationwide Temple Freedom Campaign, ‘Mandir Mukti Abhiyan’

According to the VHP, the campaign is intended to ensure that temples are administered by those directly connected with their religious traditions and customs. The organisation has expressed concerns that government oversight has affected the efficient management of temple affairs and the use of temple resources.

Objectives of the Campaign

As part of the Mandir Mukti Abhiyan, the VHP has called for temple administration to be entrusted to independent Hindu community trusts or religious bodies. It has also urged that income generated by temples should be used exclusively for temple maintenance, daily worship, religious ceremonies, cultural programmes, heritage conservation, and charitable activities associated with the institutions. The organisation has opposed the diversion of temple funds for purposes unrelated to the temples.

To advance its campaign, the VHP plans to submit memoranda to Governors, Chief Ministers, and legislators across the country. It also intends to organise regional and national conventions to raise public awareness and mobilise support for the movement.

VHP’s Stand

The VHP maintains that Hindu temples should enjoy the same administrative autonomy as other religious institutions. It argues that mosques, churches, and gurdwaras are generally managed by their respective religious communities without direct government administration and believes a similar model should apply to
Hindu temples.