This was the only thing left. Yes, Karnataka has asked all the 34,000 temples in the state to conduct a special pooja to please the rain gods.
The state is having its worst drought in 42 years and the government has gone a step ahead, asking all the temples to conduct pooja seeking rain. If the pooja is conducted at a cost of Rs 5,000 each, then it would cost Rs 17 crore! Yes, a whopping Rs 17 crore!
Who has given the orders? The state endowments ministry. Minister KS Poojari, whose last name means "priest", has not delayed in given a statement and clarifying that tax-payers' money will not be used for these rituals to propitiate the rain gods. And who is paying money that too Rs 17 crore? “Temple trusts will fund the poojas,” Poojari has said.
It’s not just churches, even mosques and churches in the state have also been asked to conduct special prayers for rain. The BJP government of Jagadish Shettar wants these prayers conducted on July 27 and August 7.
Who knows if given a chance this government will ask all the temples to conduct poojas to save the government from frequently falling, and the state would sponsor the poojas, not to mention that it would be taxpayers’ money. God save the state and people…
