Repeat offender Hindu-hater MP Thirumavalavan has mocked Hindu beliefs again saying that building temples is a business that would fetch more revenue than any other business. He said this in a Communist book launch event to the mirth of Hindu-hating audience. Earlier he had described Hindu temples as ones with vulgar figurines in towers.

Thirumavalavan, a Lok Sabha MP, and ally of DMK, has inherent hatred against Hindu dharma and leaves no opportunity to abuse Hindu beliefs and deities. Recently while speaking at a book launch event of a Communist, he said that building temples is a business and lied through his teeth that there isn’t any responsibility to account for the revenue. He said, “Building temples is a business. I’m not joking. It is temple business that earns more revenue than any other business. Which business earns more revenue than Tirupati temple. Are there any accounts (of temple revenue)?”.

“They pour it(money) in Tirupati, Sabarimala temples.. whichever temple you take..occupy a space in a street corner and build a temple there..see how great(wealthy) you become in 10 years. You don’t even need marketing personnel for this business”. Except for prominent temples getting more money by way of hundi collection, none of his claims are true. All Hindu temples that have a hundi or accept any form of donation have to be registered with the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HRCE) Board.

If the hundi collection per year exceeds a certain limit HRCE can take over the temple. HRCE rules are so vague that temples can be taken over on silly charges as per the government’s whims. Once taken over it takes a tedious legal process to get them back even though HRCE Act says that the department can control and monitor the concerned temple only till the issues are rectified. Contrary to Thirumavalavan’s claims, Hindu temples run by either private trusts or HRCE/Devasthanams do have to audit their accounts every year.

Even though not all religious activities are taxed, some are, and apply to all religions. Temples do not get a single rupee from state or central governments while churches and mosques are given grants for renovation and their religious leaders get honorarium. However, it is only temple money which governments eye for ambitious projects. Tirupati temple is controlled by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), a government appointed board. TTD funded an expressway project of Andhra government by taking up nearly 70%, that is Rs 458 crores, of the estimated cost.

Tirupati temple gives Rs 50 crore to the Andhra government every year for the Common Good Fund. Sabarimala is also controlled by the government appointed Sabarimala Devaswom Board. Thus members of the board are mostly from the ruling political party or close to those in power. In 2021, Sabarimala Devaswom Board said that it only received Rs 15 crore in the financial year which is not enough to take care of its expenditure. It asked the government for Rs 100 crore to fund temples under its control.

Does Thirumavalavan suspect his friends Christian Jegan Reddy and Communist Pinarayi Vijayan of not accounting temple revenue and earning an extraordinary amount through “temple business”? As a “Dalit” leader he should actually be questioning Christian priests, pastors and Moulvis who cheat SCs into believing that there is no discrimination in Christianity or Islam and rob them of their meagre income in the name of tithe and zakat.

If he is truly concerned about religion becoming a business he should talk about church planting and question its motives. But then he admitted in an interview that he follows Christianity and his family participates in Christian functions which might explain his ‘reluctance’ to question the church. Legal Rights Protection Forum had written to the Election Commission of India seeking to cancel his candidature as a Lok Sabha MP.

Does he really not know that after the Bharatiya government, the church is the largest landholder in the country? Imagine the uproar if a BJP MP or an ally had said that church planting is a business that has no rivals when it comes to revenue! The likes of Thirumavalavan would be organising protests to “Uproot Sanatana Dharma” that dares to question Christian and Muslim religious fanaticism.