BENGALURU: With the Assembly elections just months away, the BJP government is planning to install statues of 12th century philosopher Basavanna and Bengaluru founder Kempegowda in front of the steps of the Vidhana Soudha. The ground-breaking ceremony will be conducted on Friday in the presence of religious heads.
Revenue Minister R Ashoka said the statues of Basavanna and Kempegowda, astride horses, will be 24 feet in height and will cost Rs 8 crore. “There was a long-pending demand to install the statues, but previous government did not do so for reasons best known to them. As per protocol, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Assembly Speaker Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri, Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti, Opposition leaders Siddaramaiah and B K Hariprasad, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy and others have been invited. Apart from them, seers from the Adichunchanagiri Mutt, Pejawar Mutt, Suttur Mutt, Nanjavadhoota Mutt, Siddaganga Mutt, Madara Chennaiah Mutt and the Kengeri Vokkaligara Mutt have also been invited”, he said.
The minister added that the statues will be unveiled in the next one-and-half months. “Basavanna and Kempegowda are great personalities and do not belong to any community, caste or religion. Caste issues should not raked up in connection with them”, he stressed. He also inspected the site where the statues will be installed.
On the issue of Siddaramaiah constesting the upcoming Assembly election from Kolar, Ashok taunted him saying that he is like a leader with no direction. “He left Varuna, Chamundeshwari and now Badami constituencies. If he had taken up development works there, he could have contested from there itself, but the voters rejected him. If he has the guts, let him contest from Chamundeshwari constituency. He keeps changing his constituency every five years”, he noted.