Karnataka govt to renovate 100 Ram temples to steal BJP’s Ayodhya thunder

Call it a sudden devotion to Lord Ram, the Congress government in Karnataka has decided to renovate 100 Ram temples across the state in a bid to blunt the BJP aggression over the Ayodhya Ram temple.

The Karnataka government has also decided, if it gets permission from Uttar Pradesh, to build a guest house in Ayodhya for the stay of pilgrims from the southern state who will visit the new Ram temple there.

Ayodhya effect

The decision is an implicit recognition that the Bharatiya Janata Party has unsettled the Congress government in Karnataka with its vocal focus on the Ayodhya temple ahead of the coming Lok Sabha battle.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, often dubbed an atheist by critics, has suddenly turned into an unabashed Ram devotee.

He has already inaugurated a Ram temple at Siddaramanahundi in his home constituency Varuna in Mysuru district, 170 km from Bengaluru.

Bengaluru temple

On the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi consecrated a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya, Siddaramaiah inaugurated a Ram temple in Bengaluru, India’s IT capital. He surprised even his admirers by chanting “Jai Sri Ram slogans” and asking the gathering to emulate him. Now, the Siddaramaiah government has decided to renovate at least 100 – many of them old – temples in the state. This gesture, says a minister, will help Kannadigas to have a ‘darshan’ of Lord Ram in their own state.

“The BJP is leveraging on the Ram Mandir issue to garner votes in the Lok Sabha elections,” a Congress leader who did not want to be identified by name told The Federal. “We need to neutralise them.”

Budgetary provisions

For the temple renovation, the government has announced a Rs 100-crore budget. According to an official with the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Department (Muzrai), the overall estimated budget for various initiatives related to religious institutions will be Rs 690.28 crores.

"In 2024-25, Siddaramaiah may announce plans for restoring ancient Ram temples and constructing a residential building in Ayodhya,” said one official.

Minister speaks

Muzrai minister Ramalinga Reddy told The Federal that his department had given a proposal to the chief minister to allocate funds. The idea is to renovate temples even in remote places which have been worshipped by people for years, he said.

"We are not doing this because of the Ayodhya issue but we have decided to upgrade temples including Ram temples in the state. We are also giving importance to other deities," he said.

Congress view

The Congress has defended the budget proposal which will be unveiled in February. The party tweeted: “The government has earmarked Rs 100 crores for the renovation of ancient Ram temples. Rama is also present in Karnataka… In this regard, our government has taken steps to restore ancient temples.

“God and religion are not an object of politics for us; it is only a spiritual path to belief and devotion," it said.

Various proposals

Similarly, a Huligemma Temple Development Authority of Koppal district and a Ghati Subramanya Swamy Temple Development Authority of Bangalore Rural District will be formed under the jurisdiction of Muzrai department. A proposal has also been made for Rs 3 crores to provide assistance to devotees visiting the Manasarovar in Tibet, Rs 7 crores for Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand, Rs 13.31 crores for train travel to famous places under Bharat Gaurav Yojana, Rs 15 crores for pilgrims headed to Varanasi, Rs 210 crores for various Mutts in Karnataka, Rs 20 crores to maintain notified institutions, and Rs 2 crores for the Karnataka state guest houses at Tirupati.