Bengaluru: Karnataka’s Muzrai Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Saturday hit out at the BJP for accusing the Siddaramaiah-led government of hiking puja and service fees in temples, calling the criticism a “sign of intellectual bankruptcy.”
Reddy alleged that it was in fact the BJP government, which claimed to be the protector of religion, that had revised puja and service fees in 24 temples across the state between 2019 and 2023. He released a detailed list of temples where fees were increased during the previous regime, including Basavanagudi’s Dodda Ganapathi Temple, Nanjangud’s Sri Prasanna Nanjundeswaraswamy Temple, Nelamangala’s Sri Veerabhadra Swamy Temple, and Udupi’s Sri Mahishamardhini Temple, among others.
“The so-called Dharmarakshak BJP, which seeks to mislead people in the name of faith, is now making desperate attempts to create misconceptions,” Reddy said.
No interference by Siddaramaiah govt
Reddy clarified that the present government has not interfered in temple matters. Out of 35,554 temples in Karnataka, fees were revised in just 14 temples, and even this was done on the request of respective temple management committees.
He added that the fees had not been revised for 7 to 15 years in those temples and the additional collections would be used exclusively for maintenance and development of temple infrastructure.
Slamming the BJP, Reddy remarked: “Leaders who project themselves as pro-Hindu should stop wearing masks. May God give them the common sense not to stoke fires between religions.”
ರಾಜಕೀಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಧರ್ಮದ ಪಾಲನೆ ಇರಬೇಕು, ಎಂದಿಗೂ ಧರ್ಮದಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಜಕಾರಣ ಮಾಡಬಾರದು.
ಇದು ನನ್ನ ಮತ್ತು ನಮ್ಮ @INCKarnataka ಪಕ್ಷದ ಬದ್ಧತೆ.ಧರ್ಮ, ದೇವರು ಬಿಟ್ಟರೆ ಅಸ್ತಿತ್ವವೇ ಇಲ್ಲವೆಂಬ ದುಸ್ಥಿತಿಗೆ ರಾಜ್ಯದ @BJP4Karnataka ಪಕ್ಷ ತಲುಪಿರುವುದು ನೋಡಿ ಮರುಕ ಪಡಬಹುದಷ್ಟೇ.
ನಮ್ಮ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಟೀಕಿಸುವ ಮೊದಲು, ನಿಮ್ಮದೇ ಸ್ವಘೋಷಿತ… https://t.co/mY6ndyMpZ9 pic.twitter.com/twDJINPIfr
— Ramalinga Reddy (@RLR_BTM) September 20, 2025
