BJP for VHP representation in Temple Trust issue

Lucknow, June 12: The BJP has slammed the Uttar Pradesh government's intentions to enact a law to set up trusts for disputed temples and 'maths' in a bid to control bloody wars between various groups over control of these places, describing it as an ''interference on the functioning of Hindu religious places''.

The Allahabad High Court had recently ordered the Centre and the state government to set up trusts. The court has also asked the governments to inform it on the way they would go about setting up such trusts and have given three months to prepare a roadmap.

''If it is the direction of the High Court, we want a proper representation of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in any decision on the issue,'' said BJP state unit spokesperson Hriday Narain Dikshit. He said since the VHP was the biggest organisation representing Hindus, its views on the issue were mandatory.

''The present government has already ignored the sentiments of Hindus...if the government goes about setting up trusts wihout consultations, we will not take it lightly,'' Mr Dikshit added.

Incidentally, a similar law was withdrawn by the previous BJP government led by Kalyan Singh in 1992.

State Religious Affairs minister Ashok Bajpai, meanwhile, said there were no intentions to interfere in the functioning of such temple and 'maths' but to control them to check law and order problems. He said a Assembly Committee had also mooted a similar law.

Sources in the state government said the new law would try o check the bloody wars over control of such religious places. They claimed that if a ban was imposed on the sale of such properties, the clashes between various groups would automatically end.

The state government is also contemplating dividing such places into three categories: ones having international importance; those of national importance, and sites which have importance at the district level.

UNI