Karnataka: Siddaramaiah govt's temple tax bill defeated; BJP chants ‘Jai Shree Ram’ to protest. 10 things to know
₹1 crore and 5% from shrines with revenue of between ₹10 lakh and ₹1 crore. As the government placed the Religious Endowment Amendment bill inside the assembly on Friday, the opposition expressed great displeasure against it. Amid opposition pressure, Karnataka Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that he will present the bill again on Monday.
However, Deputy Chairman of Karnataka Legislative Council Pranesh had objected to this. He cited that once a bill has been discussed, it cannot be postponed. Following this, the house was adjourned for 10 minutes to discuss and decide.
When the voting procedure started for the Religious Endowment Bill, though a large number of BJP and opposition members participated, only five members of the ruling party were present. As expected, more MLAs voted against the bill in the Assembly, than those who supported it As the bill fell, BJP members raised 'Jai Shree Ram' slogans while Congress members shouted 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. Meanwhile, after criticisms regarding the Karnataka government's amendments to the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowment Bill, ministers Ramalinga Reddy and Dinesh Gundu Rao came in defence of the decision while criticising the opposition, BJP.
Minister for Transport, Ramalinga Reddy alleged that BJP is 'anti-Hindu' adding that the party which was in power in 2011 had made the amendments to the Bill. Minister for Health, Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the BJP should realise the Bill is for the benefit of the temples. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the allegations regarding the amendments to the Bill "appear to be misrepresented", "aiming only at misleading the public" and "polarizing people along communal lines for political leverage." Milestone
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