Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai unveiled a 108-ft-tall statue of Male Mahadeshwara at M.M. Hills in Chamarajanagar district on Saturday.
Statues galore
This comes close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiling the 108-ft-tall statue of Kempe Gowda at the international airport in Bengaluru. The Chief Minster has promised a Basaveshwara statue of a similar height in North Karnataka. Mr. Bommai, on Friday, unveiled a 65-ft-tall statue of Akkamahadevi at Udutadi in Shikaraipur.
On Saturday, at M.M. Hills, the Chief Minister also dedicated a silver chariot to the temple on the occasion and promised to announce a special package for Chamarajanagar district, a backward region, within the next two days. Mr. Bommai said he had sought a report from the Deputy Commissioner on the issues affecting the people living on the forest fringes, transportation issues, and education and health related matters.
The report has been submitted and a special package would be announced to resolve the problems of the local people, said Mr. Bommai. There was a demand for upgrading the primary health centre at M.M. Hills and it was being taken up, he added.
Mr. Bommai said M.M. Hills was a place of both historical and mythological significance and drew lakhs of people who walk barefoot crossing the river from distance places to get the darshan of Lord Male Mahadeshwara.
Significance of visits
This was the second visit of Mr. Bommai to M.M. Hills in recent weeks and the significance could not be overstated as the BJP is trying to make inroads into the vote bank of Dalits, OBCs, and the forest-dwelling tribes in Chamarajanagar district. The Vijay Sankalpa Yatra was also launched from M.M. Hills which is a testimony to the party’s efforts to reach out to the people of the region.
After unveiling the statue, Mr. Bommai also tried to placate the district in-charge Minister, V. Somanna, who was apparently cut up with the party leadership. He was also absent when BJP national president J.P. Nadda flagged off the yatra, leading to speculations that Mr. Somanna was set to quit the party. Mr. Bommai said Mr. Somanna was working untiringly for the all-round development of Chamarjanagar.
