Inhuman to ask people to take off clothes while entering temples: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
CM addresses Narayanaguru Jayanthi program in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister has criticized the system in certain temples asking devotees to take off their clothes before entering temples, calling it an act of injustice and also an inhuman practice, observed under the pretext of respecting God.
Siddaramaiah, who spoke after inaugurating the Brahmashri Narayanaguru Jayanthi program organized by the Department of Kannada and Culture at the Ravindra Kalakshetra in the city on Thursday, said, "We are all equal in the eyes of the Almighty. It is inhuman to ask a person to enter a temple only after taking off one's clothes. Such acts of inequality and discrimination, which are performed under the pretext of worshipping God but are giving rise to caste and religion conflicts, are insults to the Almighty."
Speaking about the social reforms undertaken by Narayanaguru, Siddaramaiah said that there was discrimination and conflict between religions and castes during the seer's time too, just as there are today, but Narayanaguru brought about a change in the society and its thinking style without leading to conflict. A perverse attitude that causes conflicts in the name of religion and caste by using worship of God as a pretext still exists, he opined.
"Narayanaguru found a way of worship that was free from any sort of discrimination. He told the people, do not attempt to visit a temple that denies you entry. Build temples in honour of your deities and worship them. As a result of the social revolution undertaken by Narayanaguru, as many as 60 new temples were built in Kerala. He also opened the temples he had built for people belonging to the lower castes, who were not permitted to enter other temples," pointed out Siddaramaiah, adding, "Narayanaguru also gave a lot of importance to education of the lower castes, stressing that it was a way to gain independence and strengthening the communities."
The Chief Minister opined that the social reformer cannot be said to belong to a particular caste or community, instead, he was a man of the world, who surpassed caste, creed and religion. "We therefore request the Union government to take the initiative of observing Narayanaguru Jayanti, the birth anniversary of the 'Vishwamanava'," he urged.
He assured that the requests of the people to the state government, to set up an 'Arya Eediga Development Corporation' and the construction of a hall, 'Narayanaguru Bhavana', will soon be fulfilled.
Pontiff of the Soloor Arya Adiga Mahasamsthana, Minister for Kannada and Culture Shivaraj Thangadagi, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa, MLA Gopalakrishna Belur and Arya Adiga Samaja president Dr. M Thimmegowda present on the occasion.
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Jaishankar holds talks with Russia's Lavrov; trade, geopolitics top agenda
New Delhi (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held "productive" talks on Wednesday to advance bilateral cooperation in energy and trade amid shifting geopolitical tensions.
Jaishankar met Lavrov, shortly after the Russian foreign minister landed in New Delhi to attend a two-day conclave of the BRICS member states beginning Thursday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and South Africa's Minister for International Relations Ozzy Lamola are among those who already arrived in the national capital for the BRICS foreign ministerial meeting.
Jaishankar and Lavrov are learnt to have deliberated on the West Asia crisis as well as the Ukraine conflict.
In a social media post, the external affairs minister described his talks with his Russian counterpart as "productive exchange of views".
"Our conversation touched upon several aspects of the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, including trade and investment, energy and connectivity, science and technology, as well as facilitating mobility of skills and talent," he said.
"Other global and multilateral issues of mutual interest were also discussed," he said.
It is not immediately known if India's procurement of Russian crude oil figured in the talks.
In his televised opening remarks at the meeting, Jaishankar said India and Russia have a shared interest in strengthening multipolarity and could benefit through greater "de-risking" .
"The last few years have seen a steady and sustained growth in our bilateral partnership. Its economic and energy dimensions have become pronounced. Our political cooperation is even more valuable in an uncertain and volatile global environment," Jaishankar said.
"We have expanded our collaboration in science and technology. The mobility of talents and skills has acquired greater salience and our interest in ensuring better connectivity is deeper," he said.
"The complicated international situation also merits an open exchange of views, especially between two trusted partners," he said.
The external affairs minister said India and Russia have a shared interest in strengthening multipolarity.
Jaishankar also held separate bilateral talks with Brazilian Foreign Minister Vieira South Africa's Ozzy Lamola.
The external affairs minister also met Maldivian Foreign Minister Iruthisham Adam.
"Underlined our Neighbourhood First policy and reviewed our bilateral cooperation. Reiterated India's commitment to Maldives' progress and development," he said on X.
India, as the chair of the BRICS, is hosting the conclave of the foreign ministers ahead of the annual summit of the grouping in September.
BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, with Indonesia joining in 2025.
It has emerged as an influential grouping as it brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world, representing around 49.5 per cent of the global population, around 40 per cent of the global GDP and around 26 per cent of the global trade.
The BRICS meeting will be chaired by Jaishankar.
