CM Kumaraswamy revives golden chariot for Kukke Subrahmanya temple
Opposition blames the move to CM's personal astrological belief
Bengaluru, Apr 29: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has revived a long-pending project for building a golden chariot for the famous Kukke Subrahmanya temple in Dakshina Kannada district, a move which has drawn flak even as reports linked it to his astrological belief.
He has asked officials to submit a fresh proposal before the state cabinet for the chariot, first taken up by the then Congress-JDS coalition government in 2005, after revising the cost estimate of Rs 15 crore when it was cleared earlier.
The fresh initiative, however, has drawn flak from the state unit of BJP while reports in a section of media said Kumaraswamy has taken it up after being advised by astrologers that not completing the project may have implications on his political future.
BJP Spokesperson and MLA Suresh Kumar in a tweet questioned whether Kukke Subrahmanya (reigning deity) will desire for a golden chariot (at such a cost) at the time when the state was facing a shortage of drinking water.
A release from the Chief Minister's Office said devotes of the temple met Kumaraswamy and brought to his notice about the Dharam Singh government's decision and requested him to resume the project.
"In this context, the Chief Minister has directed the officials submit a proposal before the cabinet after revising the estimates, considering today's market value of gold, construction cost," it said.
Noting that the project was approved in 2005, the CMO said a government order was also issued for building the chariot at a cost of Rs 15 crore then.
The government had given its approval to use the gold available with the temple and for purchasing the remaining requirement through banks, it said.
The order had stated that the chariot be built by using the resources of the temple and public donations, making clear no government grant could be utilised for the purpose.
Kukke Subramanya temple is said to be the richest among the shrines under the state Muzrai department, which administers several temples.
Though the then government had given the clearance, the chariot project had not taken off till now.
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Trump says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ continuing Iran ceasefire
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
