Bangalore:
Some Sarkar Raj this! Next time you visit a temple in Karnataka you
may hear priests doing pooja in the name of the chief minister and the
government. First-time minister Krishnaiah Chetty, who holds muzrai
and housing portfolios, told reporters on Wednesday that this was being
done for the welfare of the state.
Chetty
had directed endowment commissioner T Sham Bhat to ensure that pooja
was performed in all the department-run temples. The commissioner accordingly
issued a circular on Monday directing the muzrai temples to perform
archana every day in the name of the chief minister. The circular does
not mention the CM by name.
The circular
Circular dated
June 9,2008 issued by commissioner’s office, Hindu religious institutions and
charitable endowment.
It is directed by honourable muzrai minister that for overall development of the
state and for welfare of the people, to maintain peace and tranquility all the
muzrai temples in the state should perform archane in the name of chief minister
and also the government.
Signed on
behalf of commissioner
(T Sham Bhat) |
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This means
that all the 34,000 temples that come under the muzrai department will
have to toe the government line. Defending his move, Chetty said that
as the state was facing a crisis, divine blessings were necessary to
maintain peace. He hinted that divine intervention was also being sought
to help the young BJP government tide over the fertilizer crisis.
Once the
media briefing was over the minister offered ‘prasada’ (laddu) to
the reporters like he did on the day of his swearing in.
Each government-run
temple in the state gets a minimum tasdik (annual grant) of Rs 6,000.
Prior to JD(S)-BJP coalition government, tasdik amount varied from Re
1 to Rs 50,000. Taking special interest in temple issues, Yeddyurappa,
who was a finance minister in the coalition set up, earmarked Rs 21.48
crore as tasdik amount in the 2007-08 budget as against Rs 6.12 crore
in 2006-07.
In Bangalore
urban district alone there are 1,016 muzrai temples. Of these, 68 are
located in the vicinity of prime commercial areas including famous Sri
Dharamarayaswamy, Dodda Ganesha, Banashankari and Kote Venkataramanaswamy
temples. And the famous Kukke Subramanya temple in Dakshina Kannada
district also comes under the government. Depending on the size, muzrai
temples are categorized as A, B and C. A priest gets a minimum monthly
remuneration of Rs 500 and offerings given by devotees on a plate go
to the priest.
36,000
temples to pray for BSY!
Deccan Herald 12.6.2008
Bangalore,
DHNS: Guess how one can bail Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa out of his
trouble? Perform archana in the CM’s name in all temples! Or, at least,
this is what Muzarai Minister Krishnaiah Shetty strongly believes.
In fact,
the Minister has issued an order dated June 9, directing all 36,000 Muzarai temples across the State to perform archana in the name of Yeddyurappa
and State government every day.
The order
says: “For overall development of the State, well-being of people
and peace and harmony, perform archana in the name of CM and the State
Government.” It also says it is an order from Muzarai Minister. The
order is signed by the then Muzarai Commissioner T Sham Bhatt
Shetty
has, however, strongly defended his action saying that there is nothing
wrong.
“The order has
been issued with good intention. I have immense faith in god. So I give this
order for the good of the State,” he stated.
The Congress,
meanwhile, has taken exception to the Muzarai minister’s action saying
that Government machinery has been misused for the personal gains. The
party spokesperson Ugrappa also distributed the copy of the order to
the media.
Red-faced
govt withdraws pooja circular
CM Raps Muzrai Minister
Times of India 13.6.2008
Bangalore:
Muzrai minister S N Krishnaiah Chetty would never have thought his pooja
circular would land him in trouble or, he himself would need God’s
blessings. Even his ‘love’ for the CM did not help him. On Thursday,
when the cabinet met, an embarrassed BJP government, already
under fire on the fertilizer issue, withdrew the circular.
On June
9, the muzrai minister, in a circular, had directed the endowment commissioner
to ask all the 34,000 temples that come under the department to perform
pooja in the name of the chief minister and the government for the welfare
of the state.
In fact,
on Wednesday, Chetty told reporters about this circular. But at the
cabinet meeting the minister received a severe tongue-lashing from CM
B S Yeddyurappa for his ‘immature’ move. “Chetty cited instances
of similar circulars issued during the regimes of former CMs M Veerappa
Moily and S M Krishna. But he was reminded that these circulars
were issued when Karnataka was reeling under drought or was in a crisis.
Those circulars had only appealed for mass prayers for one day and not
like Chetty’s 365 days invoking the CM’s name,” a minister said. |
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Chetty’s defence was that
his love for the CM had made him take the step. |
Rural
development and panchayat raj minister Shobha Karandlaje told reporters
later: “In the cabinet meeting, the CM said he was not happy with
it. He has instead directed the department of muzrai to conduct poojas
for the wellbeing of the people of the state.”
However,
home minister V S Acharya virtually supported Chetty stating such circulars
were not new. “When Krishna was CM, the department had issued a circular
indicating the CM’s name and his birth star.”
Setty:
What’s wrong in the pooja circular?
Times of India 14.6.2008
Rishikesh Bahadur
Desai | TNN
Bangalore:
Muzrai minister Es En Krisshnaiah Setty sees nothing wrong in
the pooja circular. His noble intention was to keep the priests occupied.
After all, work is worship!
Unabashed
by the dressing down he reportedly got from chief minister B S Yeddyurappa
over the circular to conduct pooja in the latter’s name in the temples
across the state, Setty said: “The muzrai department was not functioning
properly.This was my way of reactivating it. I did not order pooja to
please Yeddyurappa. If people misconstrue my good intentions, I can’t
help it.”
Recounting
the benefits of such an act, he said: “When we say a priest should
worship God invoking the CM’s name, it implies the
CM is praying to God. Such an act would have been happening in thousands
of temples in the state simultaneously. Just imagine the benefits.”
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Setty: Unfazed |
According
to him, there are 37,000 muzrai managed temples, but regular pooja is
conducted only in around 5,000 temples. This, despite the fact that
priests get government honorarium, he said.
Taking
pride in his portfolio, Setty said: “No one was ready to be the muzrai
minister. I volunteered. I have come up from humble beginnings and seen
many ups and downs in life. Nothing affects me now,” he declared.
For the
people of Malur, his constituency, he comes across as a Santa Claus.
“He is like Kamadhenu (the divine cow that grants every wish),”
R Jayavardhan, who came to greet him from Kolar, said.
L Krishnappa,
a retired teacher, petitioned to the minister that the village school
needs one more classroom and asked him to release Rs 20 lakh towards
it. Promising that work will be done, Setty nonchalantly said:
“When
it comes to development, don’t ask me for small amounts. I plan to
develop all villages in my taluk by spending at least Rs 1 crore per
village.”
Asked
whether the government would give away Rs 270 crore for Malur taluk
alone, he laughed. “We will get the work done even if the government
does not give us the I money. I will pay it myself. That is Setty,”
he added.
In another
case, employees’ associations of some government hospitals, who called
on him to greet him, were told: “I will give housing plots to all
members of your assoc-iation. Just give me a list. “
This benefactor
believes in nu merology. That is why he is now Es En Krisshnaiah Setty.
rishi.rao@timesgroup.com
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