Karnataka News: The Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowment bill was approved by the Karnataka government on Wednesday in the Assembly. According to the bill, temples with annual turnover of more than Rs 1 crore must give the government 10% of their earnings.
Anti-Hindu Policies and Financial Mismanagement
Regarding this bill, the BJP took aim at the Karnataka government, which is governed by the Congress, claiming that the state government is engaged in “anti-Hindu policies” and that there will undoubtedly be financial mismanagement.
In a post on X, Vijayendra Yediyurappa, the president of the BJP’s Karnataka unit, claimed that the Congress government was attempting to use this measure to fill its “empty coffers”. The leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party also questioned why other religious institutions were not being taxed by the state government, only Hindu temples.
Why Target Hindu Temples Exclusively?
“The question on the minds of millions of devotees is why only Hindu temples are being eyed and not the income of other religious places,” he wrote on X. In response to the BJP’s allegations, Congressman Ramalinga Reddy, the minister of transport for Karnataka, stated, “The government isn’t taking the money, it will be used for ‘dharmic parishad’ purposes.”
Temple Tax Rates Under Previous Leadership
“Even the BJP did this during their time, they took 5 per cent from temples with income between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. For income above Rs 25 lakh, they took 10 per cent,” he told India Today TV. According to the minister, ‘dharmik parishad’ aims included uplifting priests who were not as well off financially, improving C-grade temples, and giving priests’ children access to top-notch education.