K’taka govt to bring in law to free Hindu temples from laws and rules that control them presently: CM

Hubballi: The Karnataka government will bring in a law aimed at freeing Hindu temples from laws and rules that control them at present, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said here on Wednesday. The Chief Minister also said that the government would constitute a special task force for the implementing the anti-conversion bill, once it becomes a law.

“Our seniors have informed me about things…places of worship of other communities are safe under different laws and they are free to practice. But our Hindu temples have been subjected to various controls and government laws and rules. There is a system under which permission has to be sought from higher officials to even utilize temple revenues for its own development,” Bommai said. Addressing the state BJP executive here, he said “it is the wish of our elders that Hindu temples be freed from such controls and laws.”

“I want to tell this executive that our government will bring in a law to this effect before the budget session. We will free our temples from such laws and conditions. Other than regulation, there won’t be anything else. We will ensure that they are managed independently,” he added.

This is seen as another major move by the Bommai government after it got the contentious “Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021”, popularly known as the ‘anti-conversion bill’ passed in the legislative assembly during the recent legislature session in Belagavi. The Bill, however, is yet to become a law as it is pending for tabling and passage in the Legislative Council.

Stating that the government has been able to give momentum to the anti conversion bill that had been pending for long, Bommai said it is because the BJP was committed to it. “the anti conversion bill becomes an Act in the days to come, I will also constitute a special task force for its implementation,” he said.

Taking a dig at Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah for his comments that the Congress would repeal the proposed anti-conversion legislations immediately after coming to power, the Chief Minister said, “his dream will never come true and for this very reason you (Congress) will not come to power.”

“The anti conversion legislation, that provides for protection of the right to freedom of religion, will remain as long as the sun and moon are there,” he added. Bommai also said that the government has decided to develop Anjanadri in Koppal district (that has been revered for years as the birthplace of Lord Hanuman) to the international level.

“After the Ram Mandir inauguration (in Ayodhya), we will get this development work also inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We will convert it into a holy site,” he added. The Chief Minister promised to provide a new dimension to the administration from January onwards.

He also said that a road map will be prepared for the 2023 assembly polls in 2022, so that the government’s report card is presented before the people, while seeking their support. Bommai said he would work to ensure that “the lotus blooms again in Vidhana Soudha in the 2023 assembly polls” and would take everyone together towards achieving this goal.