SHILLONG, July 17: BJP MLA and party leader Alexander Laloo Hek has said government offices themselves are “places of worship” where employees serve the public, and therefore there is no need to construct temples, churches, mosques, gurdwaras or any other religious structures within government premises.
Reacting to the controversy over the temple inside the CBI office campus at Mawdiangdiang, Hek said all government offices — whether under the central or state government — should remain free of dedicated religious structures.
“Every government office is already a place of worship because people are expected to perform their duties with honesty and dedication,” he said.
Drawing from his experience as a minister and Chairman of the State Government Programme Implementation and Monitoring Committee (SGPI&MC), Hek said he regards his own office at the Meghalaya Secretariat as his place of worship because it is where he carries out his responsibility of serving the people.
Government employees are free to practice their faith at home or in their respective places of worship, he added, but there is no justification for building religious structures inside office campuses.
“There is no need to build a temple, church, mosque, gurdwara or any other place of worship within government offices. Such premises are meant for public service and should not be used for any specific religious purpose,” Hek said.
He maintained that both central and state government office premises should be reserved exclusively for official work and public service.
