Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader H Raja launched a scathing attack on the Tamil Nadu government’s Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, accusing it of being “anti-Hindu” and looting temple funds. His remarks came during a media interaction in Karaikudi, Sivaganga district.
In a sharp and sarcastic critique aimed at HR&CE Minister PK Sekar Babu, Raja questioned the minister’s stance on temple administration. “Call him Sekarbabu or Hallelujah Babu, whatever you wish. But under his management, is the HR&CE Department filing affidavits opposing the lighting of lamps in temples?” Raja asked, highlighting what he termed as the department’s contradictory actions.
He escalated his criticism, labelling the HR&CE a “totally anti-Hindu, evil department” that should be abolished. Raja alleged systematic corruption, stating, “Lakhs and crores of rupees are being looted in the name of temple kumbabishekam (consecration ceremonies) as long as this department exists.”
The BJP leader accused the DMK government of siphoning temple offerings, mismanaging temple lands, and rendering the department redundant. “What is the need for such a department? If you ask what is important for a temple, it is the pooja (worship). But I have seen appointment orders for priests that state ‘you will not receive a salary’,” Raja claimed, citing an example from a temple in Maduranthakam. He contrasted this with what he alleged were high administrative overheads: “Joint Commissioners get salaries of two lakh rupees a month while temples survive on the offerings of devotees.”
“This is a government that thrives by siphoning the offerings made by Hindus to their temples. If a government acts against Hindu temples, isn’t it our duty to remove it?” he asserted..
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