Minister accused of conducting Parjanya Homa without calling tender. Misappropriation of funds from State treasury. Constitution does not permit superstition.
A complaint has been lodged with Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) against Minister for Water Resources M B Patil alleging misappropriation of funds from State Treasury to the extent of Rs 20 lakhs for meeting the expenses of conducting Parjanya Homa, praying for rains.
One Raghavendra has lodged the complaint on Friday with ACB. The Karnataka Niravari Nigam Ltd had conducted the special prayer Homa as per the instructions given by Minister M B Patil. Priests from Kerala were invited to conduct the Homa at Bagamandala and Mahabaleshwar at an expense of Rs 20 lakhs. This amounts to corruption, misusing the power, the complaint alleges. Urging legal action, the complaint also states that tender was not called in this regard, suggesting corruption as the main intent behind holding this prayer. The Minister has agreed that Rs 20 lakhs was spent for conducting the Homa. However, following public outrage in this regard he has decided to foot the bill himself.
Constitution does not permit superstition
Minister Ramesh Kumar has responded to the issue stating that the Constitution does not permit superstition; hence it is wrong to conduct Homa for rain. Constitution is god
for us. It is all fake that pooja can make it rain, he said. Leader of the Opposition Jagadish Shettar questioned, if Homa could make it rain, why did the government not resort to it since 3 years? It is evident that the government is propagating superstition, he stressed.
K S Eshwarappa, leader of the Opposition, Legislative Council, supported the Homa and stated that it is welcome that Parjanya Japa is being held to make it rain. He also had conducted such a Homa near Kigga when he was the minister, he said and called it “our culture, not superstition.”
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