‘Tirumala issue is about protecting the rights of Hindus’

K Pawan Kalyan, the deputy chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, made a seven-point declaration to protect and propagate sanatana sharma or Hinduism,asking for strong laws at the state and national levels to be implemented for protecting Hindu sites of worship and religious practices. Strongly criticising opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and his Tamil Nadu counterpart Udayanidhi Stalin for their anti-Hindu comments, Pawan Kalyan said he was willing to lose everything for the sake of Dharma. “I’m willing to stake everything for the sake of Dharma. My life, my family, my political career, and my political position.”

In an exclusive interview with Deepika Amirapu, he outlined the next steps for the establishment of the Sanatana Dharma Rakshana Board and addressed the Tirumala laddu controversy.

1. How are you viewing the Supreme Court’s comments that ‘God should be left out of politics’?

A. The Tirumala issue is not about politics. It is about protecting the rights of Hindus in the country and the world over who have placed their faith in Lord Venkateswara; in preserving the sanctity of the temple and fostering the agama traditions that have been practised for centuries.

2. You have given a call for Hindus in India to unite and work towards protecting Dharmic traditions and institutions. How are you planning to sustain the momentum to ensure the Sanatana Rakshana Board is formed?

A. I am among the many who have asked Hindus across the world to unite because the issue is not confined to the adulterated ingredients used in the laddu. It is about how we govern our temples and the interference caused. As a practising Hindu, I am doing my duty in presenting the facts to the people and raising concerns of mismanagement across several kshetras in the country. There needs to be a more cohesive effort from Hindu individuals and institutions to actively protect, propagate, and more importantly, respect our religion and practices. We should collectively take this issue forward.

3. You spoke of the need for a Sanatana Rakshana Board. Is the Board going to have any statutory and judicial powers like the Waqf Board?

A. In my view, the Board should have quasi-judicial rights just like the Human Rights Commission, and perhaps even the Waqf Board which has its tribunal. One of the primary duties will be to protect temples, the lands, the practices, and the entire ecosystem that the temple creates and fosters around it. The Board could also lay down certain punitive measures to nab and punish those who wilfully attack Hindu shrines and hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus. We should have a mitigation mechanism to avoid such occurrences (such as the ghee adulteration) in the future.

4. Are your NDA partners in concurrence with your decision to form the Sanatana Rakshana Board? What are your next steps in making this a pan-India movement?

A. My NDA partners are definitely in concurrence with this idea. In fact, BJP president and union minister JP Nadda has encouraged and enquired about the way forward regarding the Tirumala issue and on the board. I will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this subject and we will together decide the future course of action.

5. What corrective steps are being taken to ensure such incidents do not recur?

A. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam board should be taking responsibility by virtue of being an autonomous body. The board members are answerable. Now that the old board has been dissolved, only those who have sufficient knowledge of Dharmic traditions and are staunch believers of sanatana dharma should be part of the Board and other positions of accountability, particularly the Executive Officer. Else, it will violate the basic principle of agama traditions.

6. Are you the Balasaheb Thackeray of Andhra Pradesh?

A. No, I am not. I am an advocate of true secularism - which means that the state, political parties, and civil society have equal responsibility in protecting and respecting the religious practices of all faiths. Any wrongdoing - against Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, or others - should be condemned and corrective action should be taken to prevent religious sentiments from being hurt. This, in my view, is true secularism.

7. What is the outcome of the Varahi Declaration?

A. To bring about an Act that would strengthen sanatana dharma and prevent action that harms it’s beliefs. The Act should be enacted at the state-level and national level uniformly across the nation.

8. You have often indicated that the attack on Hinduism is widespread. Are you hinting at a lack of disunity?

A, The attack on sanatana dharma has been a consistent, malicious attack. The attacks are from within the country by a section of people who do not respect our traditions and yet claim to be Hindus. It is against this that Hindus should peacefully raise their voice. Conducting oneself in line with one’s religious traditions and respecting other faiths alone leads to harmony.