CONGRESS OPPOSITION CRITICISES BJP MADHYA PRADESH GOVT. FOR HELPING HINDU PILGRIMS TO VISIT SRI LANKA
Posted on April 9th, 2012
By Walter Jayawardhana
The Bharatiya Janatha Party led state government of Madhya Pradesh is favouringƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a Hindutva agenda in granting subsidies to the state pilgrims to visit Sitamatha temple in Sri Lanka , the Opposition leader of the state has alleged.
Leader of the Oppostion of the Congress Party Ajay Singh last Friday alleged that the state government is implementing hidden Hindutva agenda in the name of subsidy on Hindu pilgrim centers.
Adddressing media persons here in Bhopal City on Friday, he alleged that it appeared that there was a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Hindutva agendaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ behind the decision of the BJP government to give subsidy to people in the state to visit certain religious places in foreign countries, like Sri Lanka.
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-It appears that there must be a Hindutva agenda behind giving subsidy to people visiting some religious places belonging to a particular community,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Ajay said.
Hindutva is a passionate national movement that came into Indian politics in the 1980ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s which is considered to be strongly anti-West and connected to BJP and several other Indian political groups and opposed to the secular dogma of the Indian Congress Party.
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-If at all the State government wanted to subsidise such religious visits then it should do it for all the communities of the society,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ he said, adding that it would have been better if instead of giving subsidy for such visits, the government could have spent the money on the renovation of dilapidated temples and other religious places of the state.
The State Government has on Thursday, through an official order expanded the subsidy scheme for pilgrimage to places of religious importance situated in Sri Lanka (Sita Mata Temple and Cambodia (Angkor Wat Temple), the Pioneer daily newspaper reported, quoting official sources.The subsidy also helps Sri Lanka to attract many Indian pilgrims as tourists.
Such provisions are already in place for pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar (China-Tibet), Hinglaj Mata Mandir and Nankana Saheb (both in Pakistan). The State Government will now provide 50 per cent subsidy on expenses (maximum `30,000) to the state’s citizens for the journey to pilgrim centres in Sri Lanka and Cambodia
April 10th, 2012 at 5:38 am
Strange that pilgrimages are actually subsidised by the Madhya Pradesh.
Tourists to Sri Lanka from India, particularly Tamil Nadu – do they go back to India ?
Just how many illegal migrants enter Sri Lanka and are not deported ?
How many illegal entrants came into Lanka using the handy Mannar Route (Rev. Reyappu Joseph’s Mannar), when the ltte ruled the N& E ?
Sri Lanka should never bring back so called refugees in Tamil Nadu camps until all illegal migrants are deported, especially those from Tamil Nadu who are the most numerous. We are also skeptical about the so called Ferry Services from Tamil Nadu as a source of illegal migration into Lanka.