Sadhguru Urges TN CM, Stalin

Isha Foundation founder and spiritual guru Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev on Saturday said he has written a letter to Tamil Naidu Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition urging them to free temples being controlled by bureaucrats and politicians and calling on them to declare it in their election manifestos.

In a post on his Twitter handle with the hashtag ‘Free TN Temples’, he urged Chief Minister E Palaniswami and opposition leader MK Stalin to free temples from state control as the temples are being grossly neglected. “We cannot preside over decades of neglect & apathy. Amounts to spiritual suicide for Community,” he said in a tweet.

In his letter, Sadhguru refers to the “eroding sanctity and vitality of Tamil Temples, the Soul of Tamil Culture,” under state control. Citing the recent submissition by the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department to the Madras High Court, it notes that “11,999 temples have no revenue to perform even one daily puja; 34,093 temples are struggling with less than Rs 10,000 as annual income; and of 44,121 temples under its control in Tamil Nadu, more than 37,000 do not get enough revenue to appoint more than one person, who has to carry out all tasks including priestly and caretaker duties.”

Sadhguru’s letter also mentioned other issues such as the “revitalization” of Cauvery, enhancing Farmers’ incomes by enabling FPOs and policy reforms, empowering youths through skill development centers, state-supported quality private education for all and bringing in investments by focusing on ease of business.