Anti-Hindu policy, says BJP on K'taka govt's move to utilise 10% of temple revenue

BENGALURU: Karnataka BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra has criticised the Congress government's move to utilise 10 per cent of revenues of the temples with more than Rs one crore income.

"The Congress government which is adopting a series of 'anti-Hindu' position in the state has set its evil eye on the temples to fill its empty coffers. The ruling Congress has tabled the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and got the consent of the House," Vijayendra said on Wednesday.

"As per the bill, in future, the Karnataka government will take away 10 per cent of the revenues of the temples which have more than Rs one crore revenues. This is nothing but being in a state of utter poverty. The money given by the devotees to the temples by their devoutness should be used to renovate temples and towards creating facilities for the devotees. If it is utilised for other purposes, it amounts to committing an atrocity and fraud on the Trust of the God by the devotees," the State BJP President added.

"The question of crores of devotees is why not the government is always eyeing on the revenues of Hindu temples but not on the sacred places of other religions? Instead of taking share in the money of the devotees let the government place collection boxes in temples and plead them to help out to run the state. They might get donations from generous devotees," Vijayendra asked the Congress government.