VIJAYAWADA: Alleging that the YSRC government’s decision to pay public money to pastors was a clear case of State-sponsored religious conversion, BJP State unit has taken severe objection to doling out honorarium to Christian pastors. Condemning the decision, the saffron party accused the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s government of dividing the people of Andhra Pradesh on the religious lines.
“It is alarming that the YSRC government is further creating a division between people in the name of religion. To give Rs 5,000 honorarium to pastors from public money is nothing short of state-sponsored religious propaganda,” BJP state president Kanna Lakshminarayana tweeted on Tuesday. He also found fault with the government for utilising village and ward volunteers to conduct a survey of pastors.
BJP leader Lanka Dinakar also questioned as to why there was no such honorarium to Hindu priests.