The laying of the foundation stone for installing a mega statue of Jesus Christ by Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar in his Assembly constituency of Kanakapura has triggered a war of words between him and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders who accused him of indulging in “appeasement politics”.
Interestingly, the episode has unfolded just when speculations are rife that Mr. Shivakumar may get the Congress State chief’s post. BJP leaders have accused him of resorting to this to please Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K.S. Eshwarappa took to Twitter to take a dig at Mr. Shivakumar by saying that those opposing the construction of Ram temple were laying the foundation for the statue of Jesus.
He said he would welcome the move provided if it was for spreading the message of peace and love for which the Christ stood for. “But the Congress leader’s intention appears to be getting Christian votes,” he alleged.
Reacting sharply to the criticism from State BJP leaders, Mr. Shivakumar said, “I have built hundreds of temples of Rama, Shiva, and Anjaneya. I am not for publicity. I have donated 25 acres of land for construction of government schools, colleges, and industrial training institutes in Kanakapura.”
Launching a counter-attack, he said, “There is no need to learn any lessons from people who attempted to destroy the Constitution drafted by B.R. Ambedkar.”
“I started my career in a Christian institution. About 95% of the people have supported me. I have done my job,” he said.
In a tweet, Mr. Shivakumar said he had taken many other initiatives when he was in power, such as formation of the Kempe Gowda Authority for which five acres of land in Bengaluru was sanctioned; declaration of government holiday for Kempe Gowda Jayanti; and sanctioning ₹25 crore each for the development of the late Balagangadharanatha Swami’s village, Banandooru, in Bidadi and the village of the late Shivakumar Swami of Siddaganga Mutt in Magadi.