Andhra Pradesh Sadhu Parishad State president Swami Srinivasananda on Sunday asked the State government to appoint a high-level committee with officials of the Revenue and Endowments Department to identify encroachments on temple lands across the State.

The Parishad organised ‘Hindu Dharmika Sammelanam’ at Ponduru in the district.

Speaking at the religious conclave, he said that around 25,000 acres of prime land belonging to the Simhachalam, Annavaram, Sri Kalahasti and other temples was grabbed in the State.

He also expressed concern over supply of inferior quality food by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam.

Swami  Srinivasananda said that the Hindu organisations would not allow diversion of the TTD funds for the development of Tirupati city. Several religious leaders expressed concern over the ‘‘attacks on followers of the Hindu religion’‘ at various places in the State.

The AP Sadhu Parishad have been demanding the fair management of temple committees excluding the control of  Andhra Pradesh (Hindu Temples) Endowment Department. Many of Hindu organizations have also launched their agitations to free the Hindu temples from the control of Government which only  squeeze the temple money and donations for their ‘secular’ purpose of political interest.

It is told by a section that the programme of  Sadhu Parishad was held on the behest of Andhra unit of BJP to play with Hindu sentiments by this way. But many BJP ruled state like Maharashtra and Uttarakhand had showed their attitude to keep famous Hindu temples under government control.

…

__Inputs from The Hindu.