MANDYA: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda are none other than C T Ravi and Ashwath Narayan. “C T Ravi, Ashwath Narayan and Shobha Karandlaje are rewriting history. There was no need for Adichunchanagiri Mutt seer Nirmalanandanatha Swami to speak to them. Muniratna is a businessman, let him make more than 100 films. The Vokkaliga community has a strength to bear it. An effort being made to insult Vokkaligas, but the community need not bother”, he said.
Reacting to remarks on including lessons on Uri Gowda-Nanje Gowda in school syllabus, he said there is already an existing syllabus. “Let ask all teachers and let’s ask ask Ashwath Narayan and C T Ravi what they were taught by their teachers when they were in school”, he remarked.
A day after Adichunchanagiri seer asked BJP leaders to stop raking up Uri Gowda-Nanje Gowda, Shivakumar and his wife met Nirmalanandanatha Swami, raising curiosity in political circles.
Shivakumar further continued, “It is a question of self-respect, they have created a story to conceal the government’s corruption. The prices of all commodities have been gone up and we have to talk about it. The government should think about solving people’s problems”.
On Congress legislature party leader Siddaramaiah not contesting from Kolar, Shivakuamr said no one has dropped the plan. “The party has allowed him to choose the constituency he will contest from. Whether it is Kolar, Varuna, Badami or Chamundeshwari, let him decide”, he said.
To a query on whether the party high command is pressuring D K Suresh to contest the Assembly election, the KPCC chief said Suresh is willing to continue as a member of Parliament. “We will ensure our candidate wins in Ramanagara. We will seek votes in mine and Suresh’s names no matter who the candidate is. We have faith in voters”, he remarked.
He, however, refused to respond to the issue of BJP minister Narayana Gowda joining the Congress. On his visit to the Kalabhyraveshwara temple in Nagamanagala taluk ahead of the Ugadi festival, when the party is expected to announce its first list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly election, Shivakumar, “I have been coming here since three years. I used to come to this mutt for performing puja, it was a casual visit, there is no politics in it. Today is an auspicious occasion when puja is offered on New Moon day and hence, I came with my family”.