Davanageri: A faux pas by BJP president Amit Shah during a press conference in Davangere on Tuesday left the party embarrassed.

Shah said, "A retired Supreme Court recently said that if we hold a competition for the most corrupt government in the country, then Yeddyurappa government shall be given the No. 1 award." Dharwad MP Pralhad Joshi who was seated next to Shah tried to correct him, but by then the damage had been done.

When asked for his comments, state BJP president Yeddurappa said, "it was inadvertent"

Within a few minutes, a video of the Shah's statement went viral and the Congress made the best use of it.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tweeted #shahoflies has spoken the truth.

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Haridwar, Dec 22: Shankaracharya of the Jyotirmath Peeth in Uttarakhand Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati on Sunday criticised RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his "politically convenient" position on restoring temples.

Avimukteshwaranand said a list of temples destroyed in the past by invaders be prepared and archaeological surveys of the structures be carried out to "restore Hindu pride".

"When he wanted power, he went around speaking about temples. Now that he has power, he is advising not to look for temples," he said on Bhagwat's remarks.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Bhagwat recently said that it was not acceptable that new temple-mosque disputes are raked up after the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The seer said a lot of atrocities have been committed against the Hindus and their religious places have been destroyed in the past. "If now, the Hindu society wants to restore and preserve its temples, then what is wrong in it?"

The Shankaracharya also criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement on BR Ambedkar in Parliament that has triggered a huge row between the ruling BJP and the Opposition.

Defending Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Avimukteshwaranand said the scuffle outside Parliament was due to Shah's remarks on Ambedkar.

He said that there are a lot of people who support Ambedkar's ideology so everyone is using his name for their politics.

Shah has been under fire from several opposition parties since Tuesday over a comment he made referring to Ambedkar during a debate on the Constitution in the Rajya Sabha.

The next day, the BJP leader held a press conference and accused Congress of twisting facts and distorting his comments.

The seer also condemned alleged atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh and said that the central government should take strict action on the matter. He said that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh living in India should be sent back. He slammed the central government accusing it of lack of action on the matter.

Bhagwat has recently expressed concern over the resurgence of new temple-mosque disputes and asserted that certain individuals, after the construction of Ayodhya's Ram Temple, seem to believe they can become "leaders of Hindus" by raking up such issues.