Opposition leader Jairam Thakur accused the government of demanding money from temples for a government scheme
Shimla: Jairam Thakur, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, said on Thursday that the Himachal administration was soliciting funds from temples maintained by the state government in order to fund the Sukh Ashray program.
The Himachal Pradesh Assembly LoP said in a post on X that the state government controls over 36 significant temples and that these temples have been asked to provide money to support the government program.
“The Sukhu administration wants to fund its flagship program by stealing money from temples, but at the same time it rejects Sanatana Dharma and continues to make anti-Hindu remarks. Temples are being asked for money by the government, and authorities are under pressure to provide the money to the government. He said that the government’s move is opposed by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Jairam Thakur said in a self-produced film that the temple trusts were under pressure from district governments to make financial contributions.
“The deputy commissioner has received a letter from a secretary of the Himachal Pradesh government department requesting that the funds in temple trusts be transferred to the government Treasury so that government programs may be funded. This is regrettable and depressing. He said that no government had ever appropriated funds from trusts and temples to fund its own initiatives.
He said that any money previously taken from temple trusts was exclusively used in case of emergencies.
“In addition to issuing directives to withdraw funds from temple trusts, they are also conducting follow-ups… We should resist this choice. “The committees and trusts that are present in the temple ought to demonstrate as well,” he remarked.
They would fight this government decision, Jairam Thakur said.
“We will vehemently disagree with this ruling. We would vehemently oppose this both within and outside the Vidhan Sabha, since the Vidhan Sabha session is scheduled to begin on the 10th,” Thakur said.
The Art, Language, and Culture Department requested financial contributions from the temple trusts for the program in a letter dated January 29.
“The several temple trusts operating under the Himachal Pradesh Hindu Public Religious Institutions Philanthropic Endowments Act, 1984, continue to contribute to the State Government’s welfare programs and philanthropic endeavors. On January 29, the Himachal government wrote to all of the Commissioners (Temple)-cum Deputy Commissioners and the Commissioner (Temple)-cum Additional Deputy Commissioner, District Bilaspur, stating that the temple trusts may contribute to the Mukhya Mantri Sukh Ashray Yojna/Kosh as well as the Mukhya Mantri Sukh Shiksha Yojna/Kosh in order to provide funds for the aforementioned welfare schemes.
The Sukh Ashray initiative aims to provide older people, single and impoverished women, and children—especially orphans—better prospects.
