Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda statue will be installed on Vidhana Soudha premises: CM

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 27 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai said on Monday that a statue of Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda will be installed on the premises of Vidhana Soudha within a year.
Speaking at the event to mark the 513th birth anniversary of Kempe Gowda at the Banquet Hall, Vidhana Soudha, the Cheif Minister responded to the demand put forth by Nanjavadhuta Swameeji, who spoke earlier.
The Vidhana Soudha is located in the city of Bengaluru and was built by Kempe Gowda. So it is natural to desire that a statue should be erected on the premises of Vidhana Soudha. Our government will do it, he remarked.
With regard to the revision of textbooks, he uttered, "While some of the contents have been revised, some others have been retained. The answers have been sent today to the questions raised by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda."
Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, Minister, and Vice-Chairperson, Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda Heritage Area Development Authority, said that Bengaluru had become a convergent place of talents from across the world and was one of the top ten growing cities of the world. He also remarked that the previous Chief Minister Yediyurappa played a crucial role in implementing the Kempe Gowda statue installation project at Bengaluru International Airport.
"Kempapura in Magadi taluk, the birthplace of Kempe Gowda will be developed. Kempe Gowda Study Centre will be established in Bengaluru Varsity. Bengaluru Habba will be celebrated in a grand manner as a three-day event and a coffee table book will be brought out in the honour of Kempe Gowda", he listed out.
The first Kempe Gowda International Award was presented to Former Chief Minister SM Krishna, Infosys Founder NR Narayana Murthy and Former Badminton player Prakash Padukone carried a purse of Rs 5 lakh each along with a plaque.
SM Krishna who attended the function was presented with the award. On behalf of NR Narayana Murthy, his wife Sudha Murthy, and on behalf of Prakash Padukone, his son Vimal received the award.
On receiving the award, Krishna said, that the status of Bengaluru should be taken to new heights at the global level. Further, he added that the cities like Mysuru, Hubballi, and Shivamogga should grow. Remembering former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he thanked Singh for naming the Bengaluru Airport after Kempe Gowda. He also announced that he would donate the cash of Rs 5 lakhs which he received with the award to the Ramakrishna Ashrama of Mysuru which laid a crucial role in laying the foundation for his studies.
Comparing former CM Krishna to Bhishma of Mahabharata, Sudha Murty claimed that the city would not have attracted unless Kempe Gowda had laid the strong foundation for its growth. She also requested Chief Minister to develop cities such as Hubballi and Dharawad so as to generate employment locally.
Saying, there were persistent attempts to divide and rule by creating a gap between Okkaliga and Veershaiva Lingayats in the state. Sri Nanjavadhuta Swameeji opined that people should not give room for such possibilities.
During his tenure, BS Yediyurappa honoured Kempe Gowda with the utmost respect and fulfilled many demands. We need to preserve heritage spots in the way it is being done in England, he stated. (ANI)