Following opposition from right-wing outfits, Tiruppur South MLA S. Gunasekaran has said that the conference on issuance of pattas for temple lands, scheduled to be held here on Wednesday, has been temporarily postponed.
In a statement he released, Mr. Gunasekaran did not explicitly name any outfit, but said that certain groups were posting in favour of temple lands and against the conference, on social media. “Therefore, I have thought of conducting this conference at a later date after discussing with them and listening to their opinions,” he said.
However, Mr. Gunasekaran said that he would continue to strive for people from his constituency to receive pattas for temple lands, as proposed by the State government.
R.R. Murugesan, a spokesperson for Hindu Munnani, said that the outfit’s members had decided to stage a protest at the conference site on Wednesday. “After our announcement, the organisers decided to cancel the conference,” he said.
According to its invitation, the conference, ‘Patta Rights and Tamil Nadu Government’, was intended to discuss the State government’s proposal to regularise encroached temple lands and issuance of pattas as per a Government Order issued in August. The proposal had met with opposition from right-wing organisations since, with members of Hindu Munnani submitting petitions to District Collectors across the state on November 4.
