Not perturbed by the Hindutva outfits’ protest against the construction of a Jesus Christ statue at Kapalabetta in Kanakapura constituency, senior Congress leader and former Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Monday that the decision to build the sculpture was not his but that of local residents.
Responding to a question on the protest by the RSS and BJP leaders in Kanakapura against the construction of the statue, Mr. Shivakumar said: “I will accept abuses against me and my brother D.K. Suresh by them [RSS, BJP]. I will not get hurt. But let them also visit Kanakapura villages and look at the implementation of the Union government schemes such as MNREGA and others. The Centre has given a certificate to Kanakapura for providing the highest number of jobs under MNREGA.”
On RSS ideologue Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat who was at the protest rally, Mr. Shivakumar said: “I do not know who he is, but he or even the Chief Minister or other Ministers can go to the place and examine the land in Harobele. There is nothing wrong in that.”
Mr. Shivakumar had laid the foundation stone for the statue on December 25. He had got 10 acres sanctioned by the State government for it during the H.D. Kumaraswamy regime.
