Bengaluru: Karnataka Muzrai Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Saturday hit out at the BJP for blaming the Siddaramaiah-led government for increasing puja and service fees in temples, calling the criticism “the height of intellectual degradation.”
Reddy accused the BJP of attempting to mislead people in the name of religion, saying the previous BJP government (2019–2023) had actually raised fees in 24 Hindu temples across the state.
2019-2023ರ @BJP4Karnataka ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಅವಧಿಯಲ್ಲಿ 24 ಹಿಂದೂ ದೇವಾಲಯಗಳ ಪೂಜಾ ಶುಲ್ಕ ಏರಿಸಲಾಗಿತ್ತು.
ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಏನು ಹೇಳುತ್ತೀರಿ? #HinduTemples #Congress #BJP #Karnataka https://t.co/f81yFhgtNp pic.twitter.com/l0jcx0UFNW
— Ramalinga Reddy (@RLR_BTM) September 20, 2025
Major Temples Where Fees Were Increased
The minister released a detailed list of temples where worship and service fees were revised under the BJP, including:
- Sri Veerabhadra Swamy Temple, Nelamangala Taluk
- Sri Mahalingeswaraswamy Temple, Kavur
- Sri Prasanna Nanjundeswaraswamy Temple, Nanjangud, Mysuru
- Sri Dodda Ganapathi Temple, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru
- Sri Mahishamardhini Temple, Kadiali, Udupi
- Sri Kumaraswamy Temple, Hanumanthnagar, Bengaluru
- Other temples across Bellary, Udupi, Tumkur, Chikkamagaluru, Shimoga, Hassan, Kolar, and Kanakapura were also included in the list.
Siddaramaiah Govt Not Interfering
Reddy clarified that the current Congress government has not interfered in temple management. Out of 35,554 temples in Karnataka, service fees were revised in just 14 temples, and that too at the request of respective temple management committees.
“The fees in these temples had not been revised for 7 to 15 years. The additional collections will be used exclusively for temple maintenance and development,” he said.
Taking a swipe at the BJP, Reddy said, “Leaders who claim to be pro-Hindu should stop wearing masks. May God give them the common sense not to create divisions between religions.”
