Corridors of Power: Seers have their say

Seers of various mutts and heads of religious outfits seem to be playing a very active role in formulation of policies and laws in the state. In fact, much more than legislators in the state, it appea

Seers of various mutts and heads of religious outfits seem to be playing a very active role in formulation of policies and laws in the state. In fact, much more than legislators in the state, it appears. In the latest instance, about 50 seers and leaders of various religious outfits met Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai at the latter’s residence on Friday to press their demand for enacting an anti-conversion law by the BJP Government. Seers argued that anti-conversion law was the “need of the hour” to stop what they called “large-scale conversions of Hindus” to other religions by offering inducements. They claimed that the number of churches had increased and many Hindus had been converted into Christianity. They even urged Mr. Bommai to stop providing government benefits under various schemes to people who converted to other religious faiths. The Chief Minister assured the seers that existing laws in other states will be studied before enactment of a law here, which will stand the test of judicial scrutiny.

Minister for Excise K. Gopalaiah, who paid a surprise visit to a government first grade college in his Mahalaxmi Layout constituency, was in for a surprise. For, despite all the talk on hygiene post the pandemic, all he saw was dust on desks and benches and waste material in classrooms. Educational institutions, shut during the height of the pandemic, have reopened after a long break in Karnataka.

The Minister took the college principal and other staff members to task for their irresponsibility in maintaining cleanliness in classrooms. College staff do not utilise funds meant for maintaining hygiene on the campus, he said, and warned the staff of disciplinary action if they continued to neglect cleanliness.