Open Letter to BJP/ NDA Members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha

Subject: Please take a strong stand against Govt. sponsored injustice and Religious Persecution of Hindus and help stop Massive Sale of Temple Lands in AP.

Hon'ble Members of Parliament of the
Bharatiya Janata Party, and the
National Democratic Alliance
Hon'ble National Leaders and Legislators,


Some of the recent media reports have confirmed that beginning this month the AP Govt. would be on its way to sell the Hindu temples endowments lands on a massive scale. Taking away lands endowed for sustenance in perpetuity, in addition to other sales and siphoning off temples revenues for non- religious purposes, etc. will render temples dysfunctional which will disrupt Hindu community's socio cultural and religious life.

There exists a deliberate scheme before the AP Govt. for decimating the Hindu religious infrastructure in state. The lack of appropriate legislative action and protests by legislators on behalf of their injured electorate only encourages an out of control Govt. for becoming more brazen in treating the temple lands as discretionary.


A) The decision by the Andhra Pradesh CM to sell some 7,000 acres of mostly urban endowment temple lands for RS. 20,000 crores in the first phase (attachments A and B) on a high priority with obvious intent to sell everything else later, is deeply shocking. This raises a serious question of the propriety of Govt. as trustees of temples to enforce devastating measures against the Hindu religious infrastructure without the approval of the Hindu community which is the real owner of these estates. The sudden resolve on the lands owned by the temples for centuries and to sell them on a "war footing" makes the decision highly questionable and suspicious.

B) Last month yet another media report revealed that the AP Govt. had decided to sell 3,000 acres, the remaining half of endowment Lands in East Godavari District (attachment C). Reacting quickly we sent a protest letter to President Kalam** and circulated it widely. But the indifference and lack of action by authorities continued. Here are in part the deliberate attempts by the AP authorities for decimating the Hindu religious infrastructure (attachment D).

C) May we request you to take a principled stand against this Govt. sponsored injustice and religious persecution against Hindus in AP and help restoring temples’ autonomy with their assets intact for the survival of India’s ancient culture. Once devoid of the lands endowed for sustenance in perpetuity, these temples are bound to become dysfunctional, leading to weakening and disintegration of socio cultural and religious life of the community

D) It is highly unsettling that the BJP/ NDA leaders should demonstrate total lack of concern on this serious issue while the Hindu religious infrastructure is systematically demolished by the AP Govt. and other states. It is hard to comprehend why the aspiring "nationalist" rulers of India do not muster the courage to campaign for a very basic, and a non- controversial issue of autonomy of temples, affecting deep religious sentiments and cultural survival of the people they want to represent. Such a lack of concern on basic issues by the BJP leadership could only earn it reciprocal apathy of the majority community during the future election cycles.

E) Given the urgency of the matter, may we request that the BJP and NDA take up this issue promptly and persuade the AP government , through legislative measures, protests and other non-violent means if necessary, to rescind these punitive decisions and denationalize temples by reverting their jurisdiction to the Hindu community. The AP government's sudden decision to dispose off endowment land has created a national emergency for the majority which can neither be ignored nor taken lightly.

Thanks for your time.

Sincerely


Dr. Jagan Kaul
Krishan Bhatnagar
Hindu Jagran Forum

April 14, 2006

Note:** Our representation to President Dr. Kalam may be seen at http://www.bharatjagran.com/

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Attachment A

EENADU, PAGE 1; 30/03/2006

(Faithful translation from Telugu)

AUCTION OF MANDIR LANDS


7000 ACRES IN PHASE I. SALE TO FETCH Rs. 20,000 CRORES.
GREEN FLAG BY THE CHIEF MINISTER. PROCESS TO START IN APRIL:

HYDERABAD: NEWSTODAY

Even though numerous Mandirs in the State have no one to light Deepam, some have plenty of landed properties. State Government has decided to sell off such lands located in the urban areas. In the first phase7000 acres of lands located in other States will be sold. From this the Government is trying to raise Rs.20,000 crores. Government says such sale proceeds will be deposited by them in the accounts of the respective Mandirs and see that the interest will be put at their disposal for their expenditure. However, Government sources themselves are not ruling out the possibility of diverting such liquid amounts to irrigation or some such projects.

Chief Minister YS has reviewed the proposal to sell the Mandir Lands on Wednesday, in the presence of Endowments Minister J.C.Diwakar Reddy. J.C.Diwakar Reddy told the newspersons that the CM has ordered to sell Mandir lands in 'open auction'. It is now known that in Hyderabad city itself about 2000 acres of land would be sold and in similar scale, lands of Simhachalam Devasthanam located in Visakhapatnam District too would be sold. The lands listed for auction include lands near Tirupathi and Vijayawada. It is simultaneously decided to regularize the sale of Ghatkesar Trust lands of Hyderabad sold some time ago as per the market rate. Several VIPs including Hero Nagarjuna feature in the people who purchased the above lands. This Trust still has a land of 300 acres. Government wants to auction these lands too. However, it is noteworthy to see that Revenue Department claims this land is their property since they recognized it as 'surplus land'.

Endowments Department has 180,000 acres in the State of which 30,000 acres are located in the Urban areas. Along with these, lands too are there in other States. In the past, Guntur Amaravathi Devasthanam's Sadavarthi Chowltry has donated 450 acres on the Mahabalipuram Road, prime place of Chennai. People have built permanent buildings on 300 acres of this donated land. The encroached lands were identified with the help of Tamil Nadu Government and regularize as per the market rate. Remaining 150- acres would be auctioned off. A delegation led by Diwakar Reddy is going to Chennai to discuss the issue there. In the middle of Bangalore's Basavanagudi, 12 acres is situated. Of this, 6 acres is under encroachment and remaining part with Endowments Department. Encroachments shall be regularized and remaining lands auctioned off. There are lands in Mumbai too and they too would be hived off.

Official sources told the sale process would begin in a month's time. When our correspondent asked if Committees would oversee the auction process, JC said no such need is there. Apart from this, for encroachments at District level, District Collector shall be the Chairman, Executive Officer of the concerned Mandir, Vice-Chairman/Municipal Commissioner of the concerned place and Police Commissioner of the District would constitute the members of the Committee. He also said that Government would approach the High Court for permission in view of the interim stay imposed by it is pending.

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Attachment B

State puts divine property up for sale
Deccan Chronicle, April 8, 2006

Hyderabad, April 7: Over 6,000 acres of urban lands belonging to the “gods” are being put up for auction by the endowments department. This decision was taken after the department realised that land sharks had no fear of the gods and were grabbing even “divine” property. After the endowments department expressed its inability to protect the lands, the government gave the green signal for the auction.

In Hyderabad district alone, temples under the endowment department own 4,559 acres of land. Similarly, Sri Narasimha Swamy temple at Simhachalam in Visakhapatnam has 400 acres in urban areas while Hathiram Matam at Tirumala has about 100 acres. The department has already auctioned 9,201 acres of temple lands in rural areas.

“It has become increasingly difficult to protect prime land in urban areas from land sharks,” said A.B. Krishna Reddy, commissioner of the endowments department. “We approached the government and it agreed to the disposal of such lands in open auction.” Mr Krishna Reddy added that the department expected substantial revenue from the sale of lands. “The amount will certainly be huge,” he said. “In places such as Hyderabad, land prices are very high.”

For the present, the endowments department is only planning to auction urban lands. The endowments department owns 3,76,376 acres of land in the State out of which 94,136 acres are wetland and 2,248,136.06 acres are dry land. The department gets an annual income of Rs 62.43 crores through lease of 1,62,829 acres. About 6,124 acres of endowment lands are caught in legal wrangles. “We will also auction 22 acres of prime land belonging to Kashi Visweshwara Swamy temple in Prakasam district,” said Mr Krishna Reddy.

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Attachment C

Temple lands ready for sale

Deccan Chronicle
http://www.deccan.com/

Rajahmundry, March 14: The Endowments department will be going for an open auction of its lands to the tune of 3,000 acre from April to June in East Godavari district to safeguard temple lands and improve its sources of revenue. Addressing a meeting of officials here on Tuesday, Endowments assistant commissioner B. Venkatasw-amy said that they had auctioned 50 per cent temple lands in the district, raising revenue to the tune of Rs 2 crore, based on the Supreme Court's judgment with regard to the Tenancy Act especially for the State.

He directed the temple officials to make efforts on a war footing to auction the remaining 50 per cent lands in the next three months and said that they could fulfill the ideals of donors by doing so. He asked the officials to give exemption to farmers who had taken about 2.5 acre land on lease in delta areas and those who had taken five acre of land on lease in upland areas as they were landless poor. He directed them to carry out open auction of lands which did not fall under these categories.

He asked them to maintain a property register without fail. He warned of stern action against the officials if they resort to any lapses while auctioning temple lands. Referring to the two bomb blasts at Varanasi recently, he asked executive officers to maintain strict security at temples by appointing security guards to keep round the clock vigil. He advised them to take police help to ensure safety to devotees, especially at important temples in the district.

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Attachment D

Hindu temples' disintegration under AP Govt. Control

Under the Chief Ministership of Dr. Samuel Reddy, who seems to view the Hindu shrines through the prism of his personal faith, the pace of de- Hinduisation, desecration and demolition of Hindu religious infrastructure has accelerated. The government in its capacity as the trustee never makes public the financial and management reports mandated under norms of trusteeship to the owners of these properties i.e. the Hindu community. Politicians and bureaucrats have come to consider the revenues and properties of temples as discretionary.

Here is a sketchy description of some of the questionable actions taken under the Govt. control of Hindu temples and religious endowments by AP state government. This account is drawn from the very infrequent media reports which without a doubt establishes the gross mismanagement of the Hindu religious estates under Govt. control and therefore, justifying their quick reversion to community governance as an urgent demand.

A) The AP Govt. has decided to takeover the 500 year old Chilkur Balaji temple, according to a recent report, which is run efficiently and well by pujaris and locals;

B) Half of the temple lands in the East Godavari District have already been sold, while the remaining 3,000 acres are awaiting auction "on a war footing" which will make all temples in the district totally devoid of any endowment lands for sustenance.

C) The state Govt. wants to divert Rs. 90 crores of TTD funds under the pretext of building a veterinary university and a Medical college in Cuddapah;


D) Also, the Govt. intends to draw Rs. 500 crores of TTD money towards irrigation bonds. The grabbing of Rs. 500 cores is on top of the Rs. 1500 crores the state already owes to TTD. Since the current law of TTD doesn't allow the govt. to divert funds therefore, the Govt. is planning to amend that law.

E) To our knowledge the authorities are seriously considering proposals for: a) allowing the construction of a Christian church atop “Tirumala"; and, b) Against the wishes of the Hindu community, building a ropeway at Tirumala to convert the deeply religious place into a tourist hot spot. Such a conversion clearly amounts to desecration of the religious shrine which will change its very traditional character.

Any diversion of revenues, major changes in physical structures, sale/ transfer of lands and properties e.g. the proposal for land for a Church atop Tirumala, religious practices or major projects like the "Master Plan" at TTD must take place only upon the approval by the community.

F) Mr. Dharma Reddy, the special officer, AP claims that only 10 1/3 Square miles of land belong to the Mandir and is administered by the TTD. The statement which is influenced by some religious and commercial interests is totally unacceptable to Hindus, who for sure know that the entire Seven Hills is the sacred land of Hindus. Such irresponsible claims must be put to rest by a straight forward official declaration affirming that the entire area of seven hills is sacred and it belongs to Bhagwan Venkateshwara Mandir.

G) The unforgivable and unforgettable destruction of centuries old historic Mandapam at TTD (Tirupathi Tirumala Devasthanam) with official participation is a stark reminder of a deep malaise - the unwarranted government interference in Hindu places of worship. Due to the aggressive anti-Hindu policy pursued by the Govt. there is faster disintegration and de- Hinduisation of Hindu religious infrastructure in AP. To further improve their political fortunes the Naxals are unlawfully giving away the temple lands. The massive land scam in Hathiramji Mutt at Tirumala, and the infamous demolition of 1000 pillar mandapam at Tirumala represent the multiple strategies for inflicting irreparable injury upon Hinduism.

H) The most indefensible and controversial issue of siphoning the temple revenues and disposing off the temple lands must not be taken so casually. Furthermore, the government of AP has yet to reimburse 28 crores of rupees to the endowment department towards the value of the temple lands illegally acquired earlier for building bus terminals, police stations, etc.

I)There also persist serious charges that 85% of temple revenues are illegally transferred to the state exchequer for funding a ministry with 77,000 bureaucrats to supposedly manage 33,000 temples while leaving many religious activities to die and pujaris to starve.

J) Recently, AP Govt. ensured the entry of JRG Wealth Management Limited, (an organization owned by Christians) into the decision making and procurement process of "Prasadam" materials for use in Tirupati temple. And govt. controlled temple management has also brought in a tie- up of the TTD owned Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences with a missionary hospital. Planting the members of the competing religions at the center of Hindu religious decision making adds insult to the injury. How would Christians and Muslims like it if their religious decision making was processed and formalized through Hindu hands?

K) A recent development reveals that a TTD executive officer, appointed by the state, barred hundreds of Sadhus from having a "darshan" of Lord Venkateshwara at Tirupati without paying the necessary fee or tax. He did not show any regard for the fact that the Sadhus, who gave up every material thing for spiritual pursuit, could not be able to pay for such a darshan? A serious question that arises here is if the Govt. should be allowed to profit from the religious belief of the people particularly those people who in the name of the very religion have shunned materialism?

Last but not the least there is the issue of safeguarding of religious artifacts, allegedly stolen or clandestinely sold. No one seems to care or be accountable for such cultural thievery.