Puthiya Tamilagam president K. Krishnasamy said that while temples in the State must be “freed,” its administration cannot be handed over to private players.
In a statement on Sunday, he said the State government must present a white paper after inspecting the total properties of the temples in the State. Dr. Krishnasamy claimed that over five lakh hectares of temple land were under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, out of which over half of the temple lands has allegedly been encroached upon.
Claiming that the revenue from the temples and its associated properties must be at least ₹6,000 crore every year, he accused the State government of presenting a lower revenue.
Dr. Krishnasamy further accused the State governments who were in power in the past half-a-century of converting the temples and its properties into “robbery tents.”