On Saturday Goa Chief Minister led the State in inaugurating the restored Shri Saptakoteshwar Temple and Shrine at Naroa-Bicholim, a move that was welcomed not just within the State but with BJP functionaries from across the country lining up to praise the Chief Minister and the ruling government for paying attention to shrines of historical importance.
The Chief Minister in his address during the event said that his government was committed to the restoration of sites of historical importance -- which is just as well because it is the bounden duty of the government of the day to preserve and maintain all historical and religious sites that are 100 years old and more. In this case, the Saptakoteshwar Temple has a history that is more than 500 years old and in its original form dates back to at least the Kadamba dynasty.
Given the enthusiasm the Chief Minister has shown in restoring and preserving historical and religious sites, leaders of the opposition have rightly pointed out that there are several other sites of historical importance that have been lying neglected for long. Leader of Opposition and Cuncolim legislator Yuri Alemao pointed out that the Chieftains Memorial in Cuncolim is lying in a neglected state with little to no help coming from the government to restore it. Similarly, Quepem legislator Altone D’Costa pointed out that the Betul Fort that was built by Shivaji is similarly lying in ruins.
The BJP’s own Nilkanth Halarnkar had earlier raised the issue of the derelict condition of the Colvale Fort, which was also visited by Shivaji that is so badly neglected that it is barely recognizable anymore. Halarnkar hasn’t raised the issue recently and has remained mum amid his chief minister’s promises to restore sites of historical importance.
Even though the government has made specific references to the restoration of temples in general, other sites of historical importance remain low on the list of priorities. Minister of Archives and Archaeology Subhash Phaldessai even went to the extent of saying that the scheme that the government has drafted was only for temples, and churches or mosques will not be eligible for funds under the scheme.
This puts the government in tricky legal territory. Article 27 of the Constitution is quite clear that no taxpayer’s money be used “in payment of expenses for the promotion or maintenance of any particular religion or religious denomination.” The Supreme Court has since said that article 27 will be violated only if substantial sums of taxpayer money were spent on religious expenses.
If the Chief Minister’s justification to spend state funds for the restoration of temples is based on their historical importance, the state cannot hold double standards or discriminate against other sites of historical importance as raised both by members of the opposition as well as by those in the BJP. Similarly, the government is not justified in denying funds to places of other religions that are of historical importance that also need restoration.
The government should cease the double standards and release funds towards the restoration of all places of historical importance, without discrimination.
