Govt still studying the proposal to free Hindu temples from state control: Minister Shashikala Jolle
Bengaluru, Feb 3: Karnataka Minister for Muzrai (Hindu religious endowment) Shashikala Jolle on Thursday said the government is still studying the proposal to free Hindu temples from state control.
A delegation of priests met the Minister today and gave her a memorandum urging the government to drop the idea of freeing Hindu temples.
"We are still studying on freeing temples, we are trying to understand about the situation in other states and how they are doing. I have also discussed with the Chief Minister," Jolle said.
Speaking to reporters here, she said priests have already held discussions with her two-three times in this regard.
Stating that she along with the Chief Minister are in favour of the priests, the Minister said "they have also asked for increase in tasdik (compensation for land vested with the government). It is a rightful demand, we have prepared a proposal in this regard and I will discuss with CM on this very soon."
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in December had said that the Karnataka government will bring in a law aimed at freeing Hindu temples from laws and rules that control them at present.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with the Minister, priests said if the government brings in the proposed law to free temples from the state control, it will cause more harm to the temples.
"Kings had given land to temples, if they are freed now it will be difficult. There are properties worth lakhs of crores (of rupees), who will protect them? If they form a trust, will they take care of it? It will lead to lots of problems, so our opinion is that this should not be done," a priest, who was a member of the delegation, said.
A total of 34,563 temples in the state come under Muzrai department, and they have been categorized as grade A, B and C, based on their revenue generation.
A total of 207 temples with annual revenue above Rs 25 lakh come under category A, 139 temples between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh come under category B, and 34,217 temples with less than Rs 5 lakh annual revenue under category C.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
