Karnataka Congress Is Clear: Temples Won't Be Freed Of Government Control

The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) recently rose in protest against the Congress government in Karnataka — they believed that the party was planning to bring 162 private temples under government control.

The Congress, even before it came to power in the state, had made its intentions clear — Hindu places of worship must stay under government control, as evidenced by the past statements of two of Karnataka Congress' main men.

What They've Said

In 2021, the then-Karnataka Congress chief, and now Deputy Chief Minister, D K Shivakumar had described the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's plans to free Hindu temples from state control as a "historic blunder."

According to him, the temples owned by the government were the state's wealth.

"They are doing a historic blunder. How can Muzrai (a department) or government temples be given to local people for administration? It is the wealth of the government, wealth of the treasury. Crores of rupees are collected by these temples. What political stand are they (BJP government) trying to take looking at some other states?" Shivakumar had said.

He told reporters that freeing temples from government control could not be done in Karnataka and the Congress would not allow it.

Later, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Shivakumar said that the temples are a great source of income for the state coffers.

In January 2022, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah put out a series of tweets explaining how the move to free Hindu temples "goes against the people."

According to him, the BJP was attempting to deny religious rights to everyone and hand them to a select few.

Actions In Power

Since coming to power in Karnataka this year, the Congress has made some decisions and said some things about the administration of temples in the state.

July: The free bus travel scheme for women enabled a massive rush to the temples. As a result, the revenue from these temples has been soaring.

August: Weeks later, Muzrai Minister Ramalinga Reddy expressed his intention to suspend grants to Hindu temples for renovation and restoration work.

Naturally, it caused an outrage, and Hindu groups protested.

As a consequence of the backlash against the government, the order suspending grants to Karnataka temples was withdrawn.

Reddy said it was nothing but 'confusion'.

Additionally, reports back then suggested that officials had been asked not to give their nod to any new proposals for which an administrative sanction was pending.

October: At a seminar organised by the Association of Karnataka State Muzrai Temple Priests, Agamikas, and Workers, priests from Jain temples raised the issue of low salaries.

One of the priests remarked that construction workers earned more money than them, as they were paid only Rs 160 per day.

Reddy, meeting the priests, had promised to bring up this issue with the Chief Minister.

Skip to December — Hindu activists in the VHP accuse the government of trying to bring more than 160 temples under state control.

While Reddy has denied the charges, the Congress' pattern of behaviour and action tells a different story.

The VHP has now urged the Government of Karnataka to withdraw the notices effective immediately, failing which they would take legal action.

While the Congress adopts a soft-Hindutva approach to woo Hindu voters in states like Madhya Pradesh, its actions after coming to power in states like Karnataka are not doing them any favour in projecting a friendlier attitude towards the community.