📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Bernard Gagnon
Politics
Congress Flags Political Row Over Proposed ₹200 Crore Temple Bond in Ujjain
✍️ Amar Ujala · Madhya Pradesh
🗓 22 Oct 2026, 04:31 PM
👁 17
A plan to raise ₹200 crore through temple bonds for developing 11 major religious sites in Ujjain has drawn criticism from Congress leader P.C. Sharma, who called it a commercial venture in the name of religion.
The Ujjain municipal authorities have unveiled a master plan worth ₹1,124 crore to upgrade eleven prominent religious sites in the city. Central to the proposal is a ₹200 crore fundraising scheme that would issue temple bonds, allowing devotees and investors to contribute to the infrastructure upgrades.
Congress leader P.C. Sharma seized on the bond proposal during a recent press briefing, questioning its propriety and labeling it a commercial enterprise masquerading as a religious initiative. Sharma argued that public funds should not be mixed with faith‑based fundraising and warned against potential exploitation of devotees.
The ruling party, which supports the bond scheme, maintains that the initiative will accelerate the development of pilgrimage infrastructure, boost tourism, and generate employment in the region. No final decision on the bond issuance has been taken, and the debate is expected to continue in the state assembly.
Stakeholders, including temple management committees and local business groups, have expressed mixed reactions, with some welcoming the prospect of improved facilities and others urging transparency in the bond's terms and allocation of proceeds.
The controversy highlights the broader tension between development projects that involve religious institutions and the political narratives surrounding the use of faith‑based financing in India.
Congress leader P.C. Sharma seized on the bond proposal during a recent press briefing, questioning its propriety and labeling it a commercial enterprise masquerading as a religious initiative. Sharma argued that public funds should not be mixed with faith‑based fundraising and warned against potential exploitation of devotees.
The ruling party, which supports the bond scheme, maintains that the initiative will accelerate the development of pilgrimage infrastructure, boost tourism, and generate employment in the region. No final decision on the bond issuance has been taken, and the debate is expected to continue in the state assembly.
Stakeholders, including temple management committees and local business groups, have expressed mixed reactions, with some welcoming the prospect of improved facilities and others urging transparency in the bond's terms and allocation of proceeds.
The controversy highlights the broader tension between development projects that involve religious institutions and the political narratives surrounding the use of faith‑based financing in India.