The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has firmly resolved to free Hindu temples from government control under all circumstances.

A resolution to this effect was adopted following a three-day Kendriya meeting that ended at the Mahakumbh here on Sunday. Around 950 delegates from India and abroad attended the meeting and also formulated a comprehensive action plan to achieve this objective.

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VHP’s international president Alok Kumar stated on Sunday that in the first phase of the Mandir Mukti Movement, VHP activists, along with other Hindu organisations, will submit representations to the chief ministers of each state, demanding the handover of Hindu temples to the Hindu society.

He further stated that large public gatherings would be organised in North and South Bharat to reinforce these demands.

In the second phase of the movement, influential individuals will hold meetings in state capitals and major cities to generate widespread public support for the cause, he said.

In states where this issue is gaining traction, VHP activists will meet with members of legislative assemblies and councils during upcoming sessions and urge them to influence political parties to push for temple liberation.

Addressing a media conference at the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh Mela camp, the VHP international president also said that the meeting unanimously agreed that temple management should have complete independence and that any external control over temple administration would be unacceptable.

He clarified that under the Mandir Mukti Movement, the VHP is focusing solely on temples currently under government control and not on other temples.

The VHP firmly believes that temple funds should be utilised exclusively for Hindu religious purposes. For this, a transparent system of accounts and auditing must be implemented, he said, adding that the entire Hindu society should be involved in temple management and that temple trusts must also have representation for women and SC/ST communities.

The VHP president emphasised that there would be no reduction in the salaries of priests, purohits, and other temple staff and that their wages should not be lower than the minimum wage set by the government.

He also mentioned that when meeting state chief ministers, a draft of a specially designed Temple Liberation Law for each respective state would be presented.

Representatives from all states of the country, as well as from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Mauritius, South Africa, France, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Guyana, and other countries, attended this meeting.

During the meeting, the delegates expressed their commitments to Panch Parivartan (five key aspects)—environmental conservation, social harmony, family values, civic responsibilities, the spirit of Swadeshi, and self-respect—integrating these into moral values, conduct, and culture of society. Various major issues impacting the global Hindu community were also discussed.