If donation boxes removed from temples, priests will abandon these places: Congress leader

Nagpur: Maharashtra opposition leader Vijay Wadettiwar who belongs to Congress has said if donation boxes are removed from temples, priests will abandon these places of worship.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur on Monday, Wadettiwar said he stuck to his remarks.

Addressing an event in Parbhani city on Sunday, he had said, "If donation boxes are removed from temples, no Pandits would be seen there. They will disappear from temples".

Queried on his remarks by reporters, Wadettiwar said, "If donation boxes are removed, only God will remain in temples and not priests".

At the Parbhani event, Wadettiwar had also said that had Ambedkar embraced Islam instead of Buddhism in the current situation, India would have split into two parts.

"The way religions are made to fight against each other and castes against castes...If Babasaheb had embraced some other religion such as Islam, the country would have split into two parts.

"The ideology of those sitting in Delhi is to break this country. But, Babasaheb's ideology was of peace and prosperity in the country and hence he embraced Buddhism. This we cannot forget," he had said.

When asked about his speech, Wadettiwar on Monday said his remarks were not wrong.

"The context of my remarks is the current situation wherein the atmosphere of hatred prevails in society and not the past," he said. Ambedkar, a prominent Dalit leader known as the architect of the Constitution, converted to Buddhism in Nagpur in October 1956 and later lakhs of his followers followed suit.

Wadettiwar also claimed that many litterateurs had also said that had "Babasaheb Ambedkar embraced Islam in today's situation then grudges would have been held.

"What I meant (during a speech in Parbhani) was that had Ambedkar converted to Islam in the current situation, the country would have split into two parts because hatred is being spread by rulers sitting in Delhi and the atmosphere of hatred prevails," he said.