'System main na rehkar bhi, system hum chalayenge'! BJP-JDS rejects Anti -Hindu Bill on Temple Funds in K'taka

The move comes 2 days after the bill was passed in the state assembly, mandating the govt to collect taxes from temples that have revenues of more than Rs 1cr

NewsBharati 24-Feb-2024 12:30:33 PM

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Foiling the Siddaramaiah-led congress government's plan to loot Hindu Temples and provide the same money for Muslim welfare, BJP and its alliance JD(S) gave a setback to the grand old party in Karnataka by rejecting the anti-Hindu bill on temple.

The congress had proposed amendments to the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 1997 that mandated a 10 per cent tax on the income of temples that have revenues of more than ₹ 1 crore.

This comes two days after the bill was passed in the state assembly.When the Bill was approved in the Legislative Assembly, it faced opposition from the BJP who accused the Siddaramaiah government of stealing wealth from rich temples in the state.

The Bill had earlier been passed by the Assembly where the Congress government has 135 out of 224 members.

The amendment, which seeks to consolidate temple funds for their upkeep, has been interpreted by the BJP as proof of the state government taking control of temples. The conflict arrives just months before the Lok Sabha polls, with temples expected to be a resonant issue, particularly after the Ram Temple consecration in Ayodhya last month.

What happened in legislative council

In the Karnataka legislative council, the BJP has 35 members, Congress 30 and Janata Dal (Secular) has eight.As members of the BJP and the JD(S) raised objections, Deputy Chairman of the Council, MK Pranesh, called for a voice vote, in which the Bill was rejected after the opposition members voted against it. Seven members voted for the Bill, while 18 members voted against it.

What was the bill?

The Bill essentially intended to divert “10 per cent of the gross income in respect of institutions whose gross annual income exceeds rupees one crore,” to a common pool fund for looking after temples instead of the existing “10 per cent of the net income of institutions whose gross annual income exceeds ten lakhs rupees”.

In addition, the amended law also dedicates “5 per cent of the net income of institutions whose gross annual income exceeds ten lakhs rupees but does not exceed one crore rupees” to the common pool instead of the previous “5 per cent of the net income of institutions whose gross annual income exceeds five lakhs rupees but does not exceed ten lakhs rupees”.

The Bill was subsequently put to vote and it was defeated by the opposition BJP-JD(S) combine. This is the second such setback to the Congress government in this session, as the BJP and JD(S) combine had referred the Karnataka Souharda Cooperative (Amendment) Bill 2024 to the select committee earlier this week.