Mathura: Banke Bihari temple's treasury room opens after 49 years
Mathura (UP) (PTI): The 'Toshkhana' (treasury) of the Banke Bihari temple in Mathura, which had been locked since 1971, was opened on Saturday on the orders of a high-powered committee constituted by the Supreme Court.
The 'Toshkhana' is the room located adjacent to the temple's sanctum sanctorum.
The Supreme Court, in its August 2025 order, had constituted a 12-member high-powered interim committee headed by retired Allahabad High Court judge Ashok Kumar to look after the day-to-day affairs of the temple.
"The room was opened under the supervision of a civil judge junior division with other members, including four Goswami members. There was some difficulty in opening the room. The process started at 1 pm and was finished at 5 pm, when the room was sealed again. Some brass utensils and wooden items were found, and no precious metal was found. Some boxes and wooden boxes were also found," ADM (Finance and Revenue) Dr Pankaj Kumar Verma said.
Most of the work is complete, the room may be opened on the next date decided by the civil judge junior division for completion of the remaining work, the ADM said.
The auditor's team has made an inventory of the items found in the room, he added.
The Goswami community was opposing the move. A member of the high-powered committee, Shailendra Goswami, said the room shouldn't have been opened in the first place. "I have opposed the move and even wrote letters," he said.
"This is an interim committee, not a permanent one; the Honourable Supreme Court constituted it to ensure facilitation of 'darshans' to devotees only. The committee should not interfere elsewhere. They are taking undue advantage and usurping authority. Why are they opening the room, and what do they want to prove?" Shailendra Goswami said.
Echoing their concern, Supreme Court lawyer and temple sewayat (servitor) Sumit Goswami said this interim committee was not given the powers to open the 'Toshkhana'; they were supposed to look after the devotees' concerns, and ensure the ease of 'darshan' of Shree Bankey Bihari Thakur.
Moreover, live streaming of the process was not done, he claimed.
However, Shailendra Goswami said that videography was done. One Goswami member of the high-powered committee, Srivardhan Goswami, was not present due to health reasons, he added.
Gyanendra Goswami, a functionary at the Banke Bihari temple, raised concerns about the opening of the room, and said the process should have been undertaken in a more transparent way.
He also asked why the media was not allowed. The committee forgot the prime objective laid by the honourable apex court during its formation, that is to upgrade the facility for devotees, he said.
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Modi govt by changing name of MGNREGA exposed its 'hatred' towards Gandhi: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that the union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attempting to change the name and structure of the MGNREGA, has itself exposed its "hatred" towards the poor and towards Mahatma Gandhi.
He also accused the Centre of "altering" the very structure of the scheme, by shifting nearly 40 per cent of the cost onto the state governments, and called Modi "anti federal".
Suggesting that the NDA government at the Centre start a "Ministry of Name Change", with the Prime Minister himself holding that portfolio, the CM warned of a statewide agitation against this name change move.
The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, that seeks to replace the existing rural employment law MGNREGA, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid strong objections by the opposition to the "removal" of Mahatma Gandhi's name from it.
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"The Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is attempting to change the name and structure of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), has itself exposed its hatred towards the poor and towards Mahatma Gandhi," Siddaramaiah said in a statement.
Implemented by the UPA government 20 years ago, the MGNREGA scheme has played a crucial role in eradicating unemployment and poverty in rural areas, he said, adding that "this scheme, which guarantees the right to employment to every individual, has received praise from economists both in India and abroad."
Noting that MGNREGA was a genuine form of employment guarantee, the CM said the proposed new structure under the Modi government strips away that guarantee and places the assurance of work at the whims of political leaders.
"This will further deepen caste discrimination and social inequality," he claimed.
Highlighting that the NDA government has altered the very structure of MGNREGA, a scheme whose entire expenditure was earlier borne by the Central government, by shifting nearly 40 per cent of the cost onto the state governments, Siddaramaiah said this stands as clear evidence of the "anti-federal attitude" that Prime Minister Modi has followed ever since coming to power.
"This move will also increase the migration of poor people in search of work as the proposed form does not guarantee employment in their own location -- forcing families to travel long distances to survive," he said.
Naming this scheme after Mahatma Gandhi, who sowed the dream of Gram Swaraj, was a meaningful decision, the CM said, "While Prime Minister Narendra Modi indulges in praising Gandhi during his foreign tours, within the country he has consistently engaged in attempts to erase Gandhi's legacy from key national programmes. From a parivar that seeks to glorify Gandhi's assassin Godse, what different conduct can one really expect?"
"Narendra Modi is widely known for simply changing the names of landmark schemes launched by the UPA government rather than preserving or strengthening them. It would be more appropriate for this government to start a 'Ministry of Name Change,' with the Prime Minister himself holding that portfolio," he said.
More than 25 flagship programmes launched during earlier governments were merely renamed or repackaged by the present regime, the CM further said, listing out that the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan was rechristened as the Swachh Bharat Mission, while the Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account scheme was rebranded as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, among others.
"These changes reflect a consistent pattern of altering names rather than fundamentally strengthening or expanding the original intent of these welfare initiatives," he added.
Stating that the Congress party and state government strongly condemn this "anti-people" decision of the Narendra Modi government, which has snatched food from the plates of the poor, insulted Bapu, and attempted to strangle state governments financially, Siddaramaiah warned about launching a statewide agitation against this move.
"The responsibility of preserving the MGNREGA scheme in its original form must also be taken up by the lakhs of beneficiaries of the scheme. They must hold the BJP leaders of the state accountable and exert pressure on them to raise their voices against this injustice, rising above party lines," he said.
