Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Mar 15: Dr V S Acharya, minister for muzrai and higher education, lost his temper on Monday March 14, after being harangued and pestered by JDS legislator, Y S V Datta, during a discussion in the state assembly. Dr Acharya, who is considered a cool-headed person who never loses patience, announced out of frustration, that he cannot function with such members and that he is prepared to sacrifice his position as a state minister,  as he does not give too much importance to which position he holds.

Dr Acharya, on Monday, was found fuming. He was not in his usual composed and tranquil self. “Datta has been talking continuously, without thinking what he is saying. It has become a habit for him to berate everyone. Nonsense, what do you mean? I expected at least Nanaiah to come to our rescue. With malicious intentions, Datta is casting unfound aspersions on me,” Acharya shouted, before throwing the file on the table.

Participating in the discussion on the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Bill 2011, JDS member, Y S V Datta had expressed suspicion that some conspiracy had worked behind the action of the government in moving the bill in a hurry. He said that in May 2009, the secretary of the revenue department had made a note that denotification of Udupi Srikrishna Mutt from the jurisdiction of the act was improper, as the issue of its succession was still in court. He also said that Yeddyurappa had then recommended to keep the issue pending.

This angered Dr Acharya, and his stand was supported by BJP members, G Madhusudan, Ganesh Karnik, Bharati Shetty, Manohar Maski, etc. The chairman of the council interfered and pacified the agitated members.  Minister Ramdas also took Datta to task, saying that Acharya was angry at the irresponsible talk indulged in by Datta.

V R Sudarshan of the Congress questioned the propriety of denotifying Srikrishna Mutt alone from the ambit of muzrai department, although 30 religious institutions had requested for the same. “Does it not amount to partisan action?” he questioned.

Datta, continuing his tirade, showed some documents to prove that Dattatreya Temple in Ganagapur had been kept out of the department’s control, and that Acharya and the state government had violated legal parameters in bowing before Pejavar Swamiji’s recommendation and granting exemption to Srikrishna Mutt.

Acharya explained that Udupi Srikrishna Mutt had been brought within the list of notified temples in 2003, but that it continued to be governed by the Paryaya tradition. He drew the attention of the concerned to the fact that Sriksiha Mutt had never come into the control of the government before it was denotified. He strongly justified the denotification of the Mutt, and said that the other 29 cases will be examined in course of time, and wherever possible, their denotification requests too will be granted.