New Delhi:
During the lockdown, the priests of Delhi are facing financial crisis due to the closure of temples and other religious places. Today, at a function organized at the State BJP office, Delhi BJP President Shri Adesh Gupta gave financial assistance to the priests and distributed sanitizers with stand for installation in temples. On this occasion, Shri Adesh Gupta also demanded from Delhi Government to pay salaries to pujaris, granthis and priests of other religious places on the lines of the salary being paid by the Delhi government to the Imams of the mosque. The program was conducted by Shri Anand Sahu. Media Head Shri Ashok Goel Devraha was present on the occasion.
Shri Adesh Gupta said that the Corona era has also caused financial problems to many sections and the BJP has always been with them to help them. From time to time, priests of religious places have been given financial assistance. He said that the Delhi government pays salaries to the Imams and their assistants of mosques in Delhi, but priests of other religious places in Delhi have not been given any financial assistance from the Delhi government till date. The expenses of the priests of most temples and other religious places are being made by the donation, Dakshina, offerings and this money is so low that it is difficult to run their house. They are living with economic difficulties due to the closure of the religious places during the lockdown, but the Kejriwal government has not yet visited them and took stock of their difficulties.
Shri Gupta said that earlier in several programs we tried to attract the attention of Delhi Government regarding this matter, but Kejriwal never took the problems of priests seriously. From time to time, Kejriwal has been increasing the salaries of the Imams of the mosque, but once in all these years, there was no discussion about the salaries of the priests. Once again, the Government of Delhi is urged not to do politics of religion for the vote bank in this time of crisis and to make a provision to pay salaries to the priests of religious places of Delhi on the same lines as the Imams of mosques are paid monthly salary.
