On June 24, a handle named ‘Mandal Army Delhi’ shared a screenshot claiming to be of the popular Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar. The screenshot claimed that the ‘Akhil Bharatiya Brahman Mahasabha’ in Rajasthan has opposed the appointments made for the post of temple priests and managers by the state government.
The screenshot morphed Dainik Bhaskar’s logo and font and went ahead to claim that the Brahman Mahasabha has asserted that no non-Brahmins will be allowed to be appointed as priests in temples because the Brahmins have a monopoly on priesthood. It also added that the Brahman Mahasabha has stated that when BJP comes to power in Rajasthan, Manismriti will be implemented.
The screenshot went on to claim that the Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Mahasabha has stated that all other castes, like Baniya, Jaat, Teli, Thakur, and all women are beneath the Brahmin males.
“Temples are the source of our income for hundreds of years. We will not allow any other caste to take it from us. The Rajasthan High Court has a statue of Manu. We want Rajasthan to become the first Indian state to implement Manusmriti laws. Under Manusmriti laws, no Brahmin will ever be punished and Brahmins can easily occupy the property of others. It can only be possible under the BJP“, the screenshot quoted the Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Mahasabha as saying.
Dainik Bhaskar calls out the forgery
After the screenshot went viral on social media, Dainik Bhaskar called out the forgery. In a report, Bhaskar slammed the fake screenshot being circulated in their name and stated that they never published any such report.
Bhaskar stated that the screenshot has been falsely attributed to them and they have never published any such news.
Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Mahasabha actually welcomed the news of non-Brahmins being appointed as priests
Bhaskar further quoted the Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Mahasabha. Rajasthan head Sunil Mudgal stated to Bhaskar when initially the advertisement for the positions was published back in 2013, the Mahasabha had opposed it. But now they have no objection to the appointments and they are happy that the new appointments are caste and gender inclusive. The appointments have been finalized after a long wait and for that, the Mahasabha has congratulated the successful candidates.
Udaipur Pujari Parishad had spoken against caste-based reservations for the appointment of temple priests
It is notable here that of the 47 posts of priests going to be filled by the Devasthan Board in Rajasthan, 7 posts were reserved for ST, 5 posts for SC candidates, and 9 posts for OBC candidates. 24 posts have been open for general candidates. The Pujari Parishad in Udaipur objected to the government going against social and religious norms when it comes to Hindu temples.
It is notable here that only one post has been filled in Udaipur. The Vipra Foundation has met Governor Kalraj Mishra in this regard and has asked him to nullify the appointments stating that the state government has been going against Hindu social norms by forcefully appointing non-Brahmins in the posts of priests, as traditionally, temples have Brahmin priests. The report was published in Dainik Bhaskar on 20th June.
AAP worker behind the handle?
Mandal Army Delhi handle is run by AAP worker Omkar Yadav. Omkar Yadav’s Twitter handle @OmkarAap has been tagged by the Mandal Army Delhi as their manager in several tweets and pictures of him meeting AAP leaders in Delhi.
Priest appointments in Rajasthan
The Rajasthan government under Vasundhara Raje Scindia in 2013 had notified the selection process for the appointment of priests and managers of Temples under the Devsthan department in Rajasthan. Sukhadia University was tasked with carrying out the selection process. However, no funds were sanctioned for the process for a long time.
The University conducted examinations for the posts of priests in 2014. But for the lack of funds, the publication of results was halted. The results remained unpublished till 2022. Under the Gehlot government, finally, the results were published in November 2022. 7 months after the results were published, the Gehlot government published the list for appointments on 16 June 2023. 22 candidates have found an appointment in Jaipur. A total of 47 candidates have been selected.
