The Congress-led Karnataka government on Wednesday passed the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowment Bill in the Assembly. The bill allows the state government to collect a 10% tax from Hindu temples that have a revenue of over ₹1 crore. Meanwhile, temples generating revenues between ₹10 lakh to ₹1 crore will pay 5% as tax.
The bill has caused a political uproar in the state, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) calling the Congress-led government ‘anti-Hindu’. BJP state president Vijayendra Yediyurappa alleged that the state government passed the bill to recover its depleted coffers through tax, reported ANI.
“The Congress government, which is adopting consistently anti-Hindu policies in the state, has now taken a crooked look at the revenue of Hindu temples and passed the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments bill to fill its empty coffers,” Vijayendra Yediyurappa said.
He also alleged that the funds amassed from the temples as tax would be used for ‘another purpose’, reported Hindustan Times.
Yediyurappa also emphasised that what devotees offer is for the temple and its development, and it should be allocated for the same. Using the same for any other purpose would hamper the beliefs of the people, saying it was nothing short of fraud, reported ANI.
Responding to the allegations, Karnataka minister Ramalinga Reddy accused the BJP of bringing religion into politics. He said that Congress was a true proponent of Hinduism.
Reddy said, “Sri Vijayendra Yediyurappa, it is clear that 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”.
He added that the opposition party neglected its responsibilities during their rule between 2008 and 2013, as well as from 2019 to 2023. He added, “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”.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
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