Revenue Minister R Ashok says it is gomala land; govt puts project on hold, BJP leaders slam Congress MLA
BENGALURU: Former Minister DK Shivakumar’s project to have the country’s tallest statue of Jesus Christ has landed in a controversy.
Two days after the Congress leader laid the foundation stone for a 114-ft statue in his home constituency, Kanakapura, the Karnataka government has raised objections and sought a report from the Ramanagara Deputy Commissioner.
On Friday, Revenue Minister R Ashok told reporters that the 10-acre land on which the project is coming up is ‘gomala land’ (government land reserved for cattle grazing) and it cannot be allowed to be used for any other purpose.
“Four years ago, the Harobele Trust was registered and had taken up Kapali betta for development. DK Shivakumar is part of the trust. Since this is government land, one cannot gift it to others. We have learnt that Shivakumar gifted it to build the statue. I have sought a report from the DC of Ramanagara in this regard. The project will be kept on hold till we get clarity,’’ he said.
Many BJP leaders, including ministers KS Eshwarappa, CT Ravi, MPs Ananth Kumar Hegde and Prathap Simha, slammed the Congress leader and termed it an attempt to please Congress president Sonia Gandhi, as he is lobbying for the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president’s post.
RDPR Minister K S Eshwarappa said, “They (Congress) are opposing building a Ram temple in Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, and are building the tallest statue of Jesus Christ. This is to please their party leader.”
Shivakumar said the foundation of democracy is equality.
“I believe in all religions. In my constituency, there are people from all castes and communities. I don’t need to learn lessons from the people who want to damage Dr Ambedkar’s Constitution,’’ he said.
He also pointed out that it was the coalition government that had approved the project to build statues of the Siddaganga Mutt seer and Adhichunchungiri swami, both in Ramanagara district.
On the land controversy, Shivakumar said he had made a promise to Christians two years ago, which he is fulfilling now.
“When I was going through a bad time, these people, cutting across caste and religion, prayed for me. In Harobele church, 36 people are working for the cause of Kannada,’’ he said.
Shivakumar said he had got approval from the government and all the papers are in order.
“Devotees are giving stones to build the statue. There is no issue with the land,” he claimed, adding that he had also got land to construct temples and even given his own land for an educational institution.
