Udhayanidhi Stalin accuses TVK govt of echoing BJP's stand on HR&CE dept

Anti-Hindu Udhayanidhi criticizes Tamil Nadu govt's policy of spending temple funds only for religious purposes

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) – DMK MLA and former Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin opposed the decision of the Joseph Vijay government in Tamil Nadu to use temple funds for religious purposes in the temples alone. He asked if the TVK government is echoing the BJP’s view.

Udhayanidhi said, “When I look at the government’s policy, I doubt in my mind that the government is now echoing the BJP’s stand, according to which the HR&CE (Hindu religious and charitable endowments) department should not exist. The BJP and various right-wing organisations have long maintained that the HR&CE department should not run schools and colleges. This policy is the same. Cases have also been filed in Courts on this basis. Therefore, we want to know whether this new policy applies only to marriage halls and commercial complexes or will these conditions be applied to educational institutions as well?”

HR&CE Minister Ramesh slams Udhayanidhi while responding

Responding to Udhayanidhi’s criticism, HR&CE Minister Ramesh said,

1. Our policy ensures that the income from the temple will be spent only on the temple and for the devotees who come for darshan. Instead of improving the accommodation, toilets and other basic amenities required by the devotees, the previous government (Udhayanidhi’s DMK government) had started these projects only with the aim of collecting revenue by building marriage halls and commercial complexes. That is why we reviewed them and scrapped them. Many of these projects were also facing Court cases and stay orders, which supports the decision of the current government.

2. The previous minister had announced a multi-level car parking project at Arulmigu Vinayagar Temple in Coonoor, using temple funds at a cost of about Rs 10 crore; still, on average, only 500 devotees visit the temple in a month. The temple does not even have a simple toilet facility. Not only this, but about 50 temples in and around Coonoor and Udhagamandalam (Ooty) lack basic sanitation facilities. When such basic facilities are not available, what is the need for a multi-level car park funded by the temple? Isn’t it a commercial project? We have stopped this project, because we oppose the use of temple funds for commercial purposes. Instead, as clearly stated in the government order, we will start alternative projects that will directly benefit the temples and the devotees.

3. Nowhere has it been said that we will not set up educational institutions or health facilities of public interest. The Central government was ready to provide funds for the hospital in Palani, but the previous government had suspended this proposal, saying that ‘other expenses could not be met’. We have now restarted the project and have started studies to take it forward.

4. There is absolutely no need for the government led by Chief Minister Vijay and the ‘Tamilga Vetri Kalagham’ party to use temple funds for commercial purposes. Temple funds should never be commercialised, Ramesh concluded.