The bill has sparked a verbal conflict between the ruling Congress and BJP.
Following the passage of the ‘Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Bill 2024’ in the state Assembly on Wednesday, the BJP criticized the Congress government in Karnataka. The bill stipulates that temples with an income between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore will pay 5 per cent to the government, while temples earning above Rs 1 crore will pay 10 percent. This has led to a war of words between the ruling Congress and BJP.
BJP state unit chief BY Vijayendra condemned the levy as the government’s attempt to take control of temple revenue. In response, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused Vijayendra of dishonesty and clarified that funds collected from temples are used solely for Hindu institutions and the welfare of the Hindu community, contrary to the BJP’s claims.
The chief minister stated that the levy has been misrepresented for political gain and that there has always been a mandate to create a common fund since the enactment of the Act in 1997. He also shared a graphic on X that refuted the “BJP’s fake news” and stated that Hindu temples have contributed to a fund for religious activities. Siddaramaiah said, “The recent amendment was made solely to enhance the amount of the common fund.”
The Common Pool Fund has been used only for the religious purposes of Hindu institutions since the Act came into force in 2003 and will continue to be used for the same purposes in the future. Before the recent amendment, the contributions to the fund came from:
(i) 10 percent of the net income of institutions whose gross annual income exceeds Rs 10 lakhs
(ii) 5 percent of the net income of institutions whose gross annual income exceeds Rs 5 lakh but does not exceed Rs 10 lakhs
(iii) grants received from the State Government.
Siddaramaiah criticized the baseless allegations by BJP leaders, saying they are intended to mislead the public and polarize people for political leverage. He called out BJP leaders for their unethical practices and urged them to be ashamed of their actions.
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