CPI Asks KCR To Protect Temple Lands

Telangana CPI Secretary Chada Venkat Reddy today demanded that the state government protect the Kali temple in Old City's Uppuguda from encroachment, after an individual tried to build a fence around the land.

Reddy was speaking after visiting the temple site where the locals had organised a protest to stall the construction of the fence.

Speaking to the press, he claimed that the rampant encroachment of temple lands being witnessed in Telangana had been made possible only by the negligence of the TRS government and the officials of the state's endowments department.

"Where were the TRS government and the endowments department officials when land sharks were encroaching upon the temple's property worth Rs 100 crore? To protest the negligence shown by the endowments department, we will hold a dharna outside the its head office within the next two days. We also urge the CM to take a stand on the matter if he does not want to be held responsible for protests against the state's government's failure to protect Telangana's temples. KCR should invoke the Preventive Detention Act against the encroachers," the CPI leader said.

Highlighting his party's commitment to protecting temple lands in the state, he added that unlike the TRS government, the CPI and its cadre would do what they could to protect the same.

"The TRS government is taking no steps to prevent the growing problem of encroachment in the state. While we protected the Lalitha Bagh-based Kalika Math temple, the state government only ignored the problem. We have protected temple lands before, and will not hesitate to do so again if the need arises," Reddy said.