Mangaluru: The issue of giving the contract to non-Hindus to supply bananas for service at Kudupu Sri Ananthapadmanabha Temple has evoked strong reactions on social media.
A quotation was called last year inviting a price list from authorised vendors for the supply of Kadali banana from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. Although one Hindu trader including three non-Hindus, were mentioned in the price list in the quotation, a Muslim trader from Mangalore Central Market mentioned a price of Rs 1.95 per banana, which was the lowest price and the contract was given to him. The existing contract period expires on Thursday June 30 and a fresh tender has to be floated.
In the meantime, it has come to the notice of The Hindu organisations that the contract is in the hands of non-Hindus. As per the Department of Religious Endowments Amendment Act, no business of religious centres can be given to other religions. Now, an audio clip of Dinesh Kumar Jain, a leader of a Hindu organisation from Puttur, calling up a temple official and urging him to cancel it has gone viral.
