Mahakumbh Nagar: Alok Kumar, the international president of the VHP, on Sunday urged the Centre to enact a uniform law governing religious donations for all faiths.

Speaking after a three-day meeting of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) here, Kumar questioned the existence of separate laws for religious donations. “When Muslims donate land to Allah, it becomes Waqf property. But what happens when Hindus donate to temples, Christians to churches, or Sikhs to gurdwaras? Why are there different laws for different religions,” he asked. Referring to the Waqf Act of 1954, he claimed two Congress Rajya Sabha members questioned the then-law minister about having a separate law for Muslims. “The minister had said he was considering a common law for all. Now the time has come for the government to implement such a law,” Kumar said. On the issue of “reclaiming” temples in Kashi and Mathura, the VHP functionary said, “We have assured the Hindu community that we will take all constitutional steps to regain these temples.” The meeting also discussed the issue of “freeing” Hindu temples from government control.

Kumar said temples across various states have been under government control for 208 years, with laws mandating that 12 per cent of temple revenue be deposited in government coffers as administrative expenses.