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Himachal deputy CM says govt has no plan to take money from temples
BJP hits back, says Mukesh Agnihotri’s ministry issued letters to deputy commissioners to seek money from temples to run Sukh Ashray and Sukh Shiksha schemes
Deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Sunday said the Himachal Pradesh government had neither taken money from temples nor would take it. The BJP hit back, claiming Agnihotri was lying.
Recently, leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur had accused the Himachal government of seeking money from the state-controlled temples to finance the Sukh Ashray scheme and Sukh Shiksha scheme.
Denying issuance of any such notification, Mukesh Agnihotri clarified, “The portfolio of temples is with me and if I say that there is nothing like this, then it carries weight. This is only a political propaganda by the BJP and other organisations.”
Agnihotri was in Mandi to participate in the traditional ‘Madhya Jalebh’ Shobha Yatra of Shri Raj Dev Madho Rai along with the deities in Chhoti Kashi International Mahashivratri Festival-2025. Agnihotri categorically denied BJP’s allegations of the cash offerings of temples being used in the operation of the state government.
Lashing out at the BJP as well as former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, the deputy chief minister said, “Jai Ram Thakur has been trying to fuel such matters for a long time. Money is provided from the government treasury for the renovation of temples.”
Agnihotri said there is a law under which temples can voluntarily give money to help poor people.
BJP’s state spokesperson Ajay Rana accused the deputy chief minister of telling a lie. “A letter has been sent by the secretary of his ministry to the deputy commissioners on January 29, but the deputy chief minister is denying so. He is either not aware of that letter or deliberately denying,” he said.
According to Rana, “This is ridiculous and shameful. On one hand, the chief minister and the deputy chief minister are busy taking money from temples for schemes and falsifying the papers, while on the other hand, the head of the state Congress and the minister are admitting to taking money.”
In a post on X on February 28, Thakur had said there were around 36 major temples under the state government’s control and these had been requested to provide funds to run the government schemes. “On one hand, the Sukhu government opposes Sanatana Dharma, keeps giving anti-Hindu statements and on the other hand it wants to run the government’s flagship scheme by taking money from temples. The government is demanding money from temples, and pressure is being put on officials to send the money to the government. The Bharatiya Janata Party opposes this decision of the government,” he had said.
The root cause of the controversy is a letter reportedly sent to the deputy commissioners, who also oversee the temple trusts under their jurisdictions, under which the temple trusts were asked to voluntarily contribute to fund the Sukh Ashray Yojana and Sukh Shiksha Yojana. The letter points out that the various temple trusts have been making contributions for charitable activities and welfare schemes run by the state government.
