BENGALURU: The Opposition BJP in Karnataka slammed the Congress State Government for passing the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Bill 2024 which mandates the government to collect 10% of revenue from temples whose revenue exceeds Rs 1 crore and 5% from temples whose revenue is between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore.
The Bill was passed in the state Assembly on Wednesday. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hit back at the BJP saying that the allegations regarding the amendments to the Bill appear to be misrepresented for political gain. “There has always been a mandate to create a common pool since the enactment of the Act in 1997,” he said. Siddaramaiah also said that the common pool is administered solely for religious purposes connected with the Hindu religion.
The CM said that the common pool fund has been utilised only for religious purposes of Hindu institutions since the Act came into force in 2003, and it will continue to be used for the same purposes in the future. “It has not been utilised for any other purposes or the benefit of followers of other religions” he clarified. He denied there are misallocations of funds for non-Hindu purposes or the imposition of unfair taxes.
Endowment Minister Ramalinga Reddy, hitting out at state BJP president BY Vijayendra, said it is clear that the BJP always pursues political gains by claiming that Congress is anti-Hindu. “However, we, the Congress, consider ourselves the true proponents of Hinduism because, over the years, Congress governments have consistently safeguarded temples and Hindu interests,” Reddy said.
Reddy also said that when the BJP was in power between 2008 and 2013 and between 2019 and 2023, funds were collected from the temples that were getting the highest revenue. “It seems they turned a blind eye to the revenues of Hindu religious institutions and charitable endowments, despite the existence of Acts or Bills in place since 2001. So, weren’t you also negligent regarding Hindu temple revenues?” Reddy asked.
Vijayendra had alleged that this Bill not only reflects the deplorable condition of the State Government but also shows its abject hate towards the Hindu dharma. “Temple funds should be dedicatedly utilised for the renovation of temples and to facilitate the work beneficial to devotees, rather than diverting it for other purposes, which would be an injustice and betrayal of people’s religious beliefs,” Vijayendra alleged. Many BJP leaders too made similar allegations.
