Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Feb 7: It has transpired that the office of the commissioner of Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments department, through a public notice dated January 29 this year, has informed that a committee for drafting new act in place of the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act 1997 has been formed in the interests of smooth administration of notified institutions in Karnataka. The new draft act will be prepared by taking into consideration changes needed to be made, additional clauses to be incorporated etc to the said act.

As per this notice, the government has expressed its intention to prepare a comprehensive draft act by incorporating ammendments brought to the original act including the one brought about in 2012. It has invited suggestions from the general public, priests, temple administrations, staff, and others in the state, heads of Maths, hereditary administrators and other interested persons, suggestions towards helping the committee to bring out a good draft act. The people have been asked to submit their suggestions to the office of the religious endowments department at Alur Venkat Rao Road, Chamarajpet here during the working hours of the office within 15 days from the date of the said public notice.

The committee wants to pool opinions from the people about whether Maths, temples belonging to these Maths, religious institutions under the control of these Maths, religious institutions belonging to Jain, Buddhist, Sikh communities etc should also be brought under the ambit of the proposed act. It also has invited for suggestions about the method and extent of exercising such controls.

The government also has sought the opinion of the general public about whether religious institutions or charitable endowments founded or organized or being managed by any Hindu religious group should be brought under the purview of the proposed act. If the answer is affirmative, the people have been asked to suggest the methodology and extent to which such controls should be exercised.

Swamijis heading Pejawar and Palimar Maths in Udupi, reacting to this initiative, have cautioned the government against interfering in the affairs of Maths run by Hindu communities. Sri Vishveshateertha Swamiji of Pejawar Math felt that by expressing its intention clearly about religious institutions run by Hindus, the government has handed the opposition a potent weapon to fight against the government.

"I will not carry out any protest or movement against the decision to bring Maths under the purview of the said act. I am leaving everything to the discretion of the general public. It is for the people in general to decide. By expressing its intention to take over administration of Hindu Maths, the government has made it abundantly clear that it is against Hindus. If a government is secular, it should treat everyone equally. I have always been demanding that minority and majority communities should receive equal treatment, but the government is doing just the opposite," Pejawar Swamiji said.

"The government had initiated a plan to release only people from minorities arrested for taking part in the communal clashes recently. Innocents from all religious should have been released, it its intent was to treat all citizens equally. This has made it clear that the government is anti Hindu. When the Math is taken over by the government, I will just walk away from the Math, and will never go back. Because we are not here to work as employees of the government and we are against such a thing. I will desert the Math and rely on the society entirely," he added.

Paryaya Palimar Math head, Sri Vidyadheeshateertha Swamiji, in his reaction, noted that the government is already too busy with work that is expected to be executed by it. "It should not deviate from attending to its normal functioning and try to manage religious institutions, which should be managed by respective religious heads," he stated. He noted that there have been examples of the government handing over institutions to private persons or entities to manage, after finding that it is difficult for it to manage them on its own.

"Religious institutions are meant for propagating one's religion and to guide the devotees, not to mint money. If the government still goes ahead and interferes in the matters relating to Maths and temples, it will burn its own hands. People will strongly resent such a move, and we will muster public opinion against the government's move. In the past too the government had tried its hand at interfering with the administration of Sri Krishna Math and had a bitter experience. We should not forget that the court too had given verdict in favour of the Math. I wish that the government does not take wrong steps, and it should desist from undertaking politics of vengeance," he felt.