Express News Service By

WARANGAL: Amidst a raging controversy over the ‘Ghar Wapsi’ campaign, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has dismissed fears of Hindu dharma (religion) facing threats, asserting that fundamentals of Hindu dharma are very strong.

Not stopping at that, KCR went on to claim he had never bothered about criticisms for organising ‘homams’ since he believed in the Hindu dharma. Addressing the Telangana Archaka Samakhya State convention in Hanamkonda on Friday, the Chief Minister announced that his government would allot Rs 10 crore for construction of a community hall for Brahmins in Hyderabad.

Before addressing the archakas, KCR knelt before Sri Tridandi Srimannarayana Ramanuja Jeeyar Swamy and took his blessings. He said his government would also increase allocations under ‘Dhoopa Deepa Naivedyam’ scheme to Rs 6,000 per month from the existing Rs 2,500. It would also look into the problems faced by archakas.

Criticising successive governments for their ‘domination’ over temples and for not allotting funds to endowments department, the CM promised he would take steps to see that the endowments get adequate funds.

The Archaka Samakhya urged the CM to take steps for recognition of priests working in temples as government employees and make salary payments through the treasury by setting up a special corpus fund of Rs 100 crore.

“Our demands include implementation of pay revision, bringing temples with Rs 10 crore annual income under Dharmika Parishad and recovery of endowment lands under illegal occupation. In Telangana, lands belonging to 35,000 temples have been encroached and they should be reclaimed,” said Samakhya president Gangu Upendra Sharma.