Saturday, 05 Oct, 2024
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The controversy has extended further into an issue of temple administration. A significant majority (70.7%) are opposed to appointing non-Hindus to temple boards, with NDA supporters (76.3%) expressing the strongest resistance. INDIA+ supporters also largely oppose the idea (64.7%) of appointing non-Hindus to temple boards.
Public opinion on the Tirupati laddu controversy presents interesting finds as to the distrust of the public. In a survey conducted by India Today- CVoter, more than two thirds of the respondents (60.3%) believe the presence of animal fat in the ghee used for making laddus was a deliberate attempt to hurt Hindu faith, with NDA supporters (69.6%) leading this view. A much smaller percentage (21%) think it was a mistake, while 18.7% are unsure.
Interestingly, the largest group (31.8%) attributes the issue to temple administration corruption, while less than one-fifths (18.2%) believe it is an attempt to tarnish Jagan Mohan Reddy's image. Only 7.5% consider Chandrababu Naidu's involvement significant, and 18.6% are undecided. INDIA+ supporters (37.4%) are much more distrustful of the temple administration compared to NDA supporters (26%).
The controversy has extended further into an issue of temple administration. A significant majority (70.7%) are opposed to appointing non-Hindus to temple boards, with NDA supporters (76.3%) expressing the strongest resistance. INDIA+ supporters also largely oppose the idea (64.7%) of appointing non-Hindus to temple boards and only a small percentage (14.6%) are in favor.
A similar pattern emerges regarding Hindus being appointed to boards running mosques and churches. A vast majority (76%) oppose the idea, with NDA supporters (77.2%) and INDIA+ supporters (77.1%) nearly aligned in their views. The opposition is slightly lower among supporters of other parties (69.4%). Only 13% of respondents support the inclusion of Hindus in these religious boards, while 11% are undecided.
The India Today- CVoter survey also explores whether temples should be freed from government control and managed by devotees. Here, opinions are more divided. Nearly half (49.7%) of respondents agree that temples should be managed by devotees, with NDA+ supporters (56.5%) being the most enthusiastic about this proposition. INDIA+ supporters show a mixed response, with 43.3% supporting the idea and 40.1% opposing it.
The India Today- CVoter survey shows a strong opposition to cross-religious appointments on temple and other religious boards. On the question of temple governance, NDA+ supporters are more likely to advocate for religious institutions being run by devotees, while INDIA+ and other respondents display more varied perspectives.
Half of the respondents across categories believe that the controversy is being unnecessarily politicized, with the highest agreement among the two-thirds of INDIA+ supporters. NDA+ supporters are more divided, with only 42.2% agreeing that the controversy is unnecessary politicization. A significant portion of NDA+ respondents (33.2%) believe the issue is not politicized, indicating their firm belief that the issue is important enough to be in public discourse.
On being asked how the controversy will affect the reputation of faith in the Tirupati temple, more than half (53.5%) believe the controversy will harm the reputation of the temple. NDA+ supporters (57.6%) are the most concerned, followed by INDIA+ supporters (50.7%). Meanwhile, 30% of respondents think the controversy will not harm the temple’s reputation, with the highest disagreement from INDIA+ (36.4%) supporters.
Delving into the repercussions of the controversy on public trust on other temples, over half (51.3%) of respondents, especially NDA+ (56.8%) and OTH+ (57.9%) supporters, believe that the controversy will create significant doubts. INDIA+ supporters are slightly less concerned (42.9%). Around 23.2% believe there will be no doubt at all, with the highest confidence expressed by NDA+ supporters (21.9%). A smaller percentage (18.7%) believe it will create some doubts.
Overall, the data indicates that public perception of the controversy is influenced by political alignment, with significant concerns about politicization, harm to the temple’s reputation, and potential mistrust in other religious practices.
