Evangelist Benny Hinn’s visit to Bangalore rakes up controversy

mangaloretoday.com

Bangalore, Jan 06: Controversial evangelist Benny Hinn is all set to visit Bangalore after 8 years. Hinn claims that he can cure all diseases and calls them ’miracle crusades’. The visit of Hinn has enraged the opposition BJP.

The BJP leader and former minister S Sureshkumar has asked the state government not to give him permission to conduct his programme. Sureshkumar said, "Benny Hinn visited Bangalore in 2005. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was Deputy CM in the short-lived Congress-JDS government. He had opposed Hinn’s programme then. He is now a Congress CM. He has given a permission now. We question his silence over it".

 

In an election year, the visit of Benny Hinn is likely to create trouble in the city. When he visited in 2005, there were incidents of arson in some parts of the city. Hundreds of BMTC buses were also damaged. Then CM N Dharam Singh and former PM HD Deve Gowda had attended the programme blaming the BJP for arson.

Anti-Benny Hinn people had filed 5 cases before the Karnataka High Court accusing him of using the programme to convert Hindus to Christianity. Even the publicity material for the event was also withdrawn by the organizers after the protestors objected to the portrayal of Hindu gods and goddesses.

The Bethel AG Church at Hebbal in North Bangalore is organising the event ’prayer conference’ on January 15, 16 and 17. Benny Hinn is a guest speaker. Meanwhile, the organisers have claimed that it will only be a prayer for the sick people and there will be no ’miracles’ or healing ’crusades’. There will be an entry fee of Rs 850 per head.