Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah unveiled the state budget in the assembly on Friday.
The Karnataka government announced significant allocations in its state budget presentation, earmarking ₹100 crore for the Waqf board and an additional ₹200 crore for the Christian community. This move, however, drew criticism from senior journalist Rahul Shivshankar, who accused the Congress-led government of neglecting Hindu temples” autonomy.
“Rs 330 crores have been earmarked by Cong Karnataka state government in its budget for development of wakf property, for construction of Haj Bhavan in Mangaluru and Christian community development. This is a state where the government pockets on an average Rs 450 crores worth of annual donations by Hindu devotees to 400 ‘A & B’ category temples controlled by the Karnataka endowment (Muzrai) department. Worse, it opposes any bill to free Hindu temples from state control. This is secularism 101!” Rahul Shivshankar wrote on X.
Shivshankar”s remarks prompted a response from Karnataka Minister Ramalinga Reddy, who questioned the journalistic integrity of such statements.
“What kind of journalism is this? As a consulting editor of a reputed news channel, this is not the way to mislead the Kannadigas and the entire nation,” Reddy tweeted.
Reddy clarified that funds collected from Hindu temples under endowment departments would be strictly utilised for their maintenance and development. He emphasised that the government”s commitment lies in ensuring that funds collected from temples are solely utilized for their intended purpose, refuting claims of partisan allocation.
“The government and I have been repeatedly saying that the Money from ENDOWMENT TEMPLES will be used exclusively for the same ENDOWMENT TEMPLES; not even a penny can be utilized for another temple,” his tweet added.
The Karnataka transport minister then called the tweet by the journalist as a “political stunt”. “This type of tweet or statement is just another political stunt as elections are near. The same was done during assembly elections, but our Karnataka people know the truth and see through the Hindu drama of BJP friends,” he said.
The minister emphasised that the state budget presented by CM Siddaramaiah is “for the people, by the people”. “Instead of this false narrative, ask the BJP party and its 25-plus MPs to request the Central government to allocate our share of the tax-paid money to Karnataka,” Reddy demanded.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah unveiled the state budget in the assembly on Friday, allotting funds for various initiatives. These include fee reimbursement for minority students, ₹100 crore for Waqf property development, and ₹10 crore for Mangaluru”s Haj Bhavan construction. Additionally, ₹200 crore is designated for Christian community development, with ₹393 crore allocated for minority-focused programs.
Residential complexes will be erected at pilgrimage sites like Thirumala, Srishaila, and Varanasi, catering to Karnataka pilgrims. Construction in Thirumala (₹200 crore), Srishaila (₹85 crore), and Guddapur (₹11 crore) progresses, while Varanasi”s project begins with ₹5 crore.
Furthermore, ₹50 crore is earmarked for Jain pilgrimage site development. Reports reveal that 400 Karnataka temples under the endowment department generated ₹450 crore, with Dakshina Kannada temples alone yielding ₹155 crore. The state budget also includes ₹100 crore for construction of Ram temples across Karnataka.
