Building Ram temple as announced in budget is for people, not politics: CM Bommai
Shiggaavi (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said he announced the construction of a 'majestic' Ram temple at Ramadevara Betta in Ramanagara district near here, responding to the wishes of the people and not for any political reasons.
Requesting cooperation from everyone in this regard, he asserted that the temple will certainly come up there.
"I did not announce it keeping in mind Congress, JD(S) or BJP. There is a historical trace there, there is historic Ramadevara Betta (hill) there, there is an old Rama Mandira there for long, and it is the wish of the people that a new Rama Mandira should be constructed there," Bommai said in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters here, Bommai said he responded to the wishes of the people and hoped that everyone will extend cooperation, and no one will oppose the project.
"If someone wants to oppose, let them. I won't object, but Rama Mandira will certainly come up there," he added.
Soon after the Chief Minister made the announcement in the budget on Friday, state Congress President D K Shivakumar had said, "There is a small temple there already, what is there for them (ruling BJP) to construct now? Let them construct their party office there in Ramanagara first."
JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy had said, "If they (BJP) had announced it three years ago when they came to power and contructed the temple, I would have appreciated it. Now, when election is around they have announced. It will remain in the budget book itself."
If a Ram temple is to be built, the ruling BJP cannot do it, he asserted, while claiming: "I know who will form the next government, so I will have to do it."
Ramanagara, part of Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysuru region, is not considered among the BJP's strongholds. It is considered as a JD(S) bastion, where Congress is also strong.
While Ramanagara is the home district of Shivakumar, it is also the 'karma bhoomi' of Kumaraswamy. While the latter is MLA from the district's Channapatna segment, his wife Anitha Kumaraswamy represents the neighbouring Ramanagara seat.
Kumaraswamy is seeking re-election from Channapatana, while his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy will be facing polls from Ramanagara.
Chief Minister Bommai also hit out at the Congress' 'Kivi Mele Hoova' (flower on the ears) campaign against the state budget. 'Flower on ears' is a symbolic statement in Kannada, which means making someone a fool.
"Let them (Congress) keep flowers on their ears permanently. They used to keep flowers on the ears of the people till now, by not keeping up the promises they used to make during their budgets. Siddaramaiah (Congress leader and former CM) is a 'maatu tappida maga' (a son who did not keep up his words)," he said.
Targeting Siddaramaiah for not fulfilling the promises made during his budgets, the hief Minister said, "He had promised to give 10 kg free rice, then he brought it down to four kg, and when election came, he made it 7 kg, cheating people. So, a situation will come for them (Congress) to keep the flowers permanently on their ears," he added.
Opposition leader Siddaramaiah and other Congress leaders, including Shivakumar, came to the assembly with flowers on their ears alleging that the BJP government has "cheated people and made them fools" by not fulfilling promises from the previous budget, and the promises made in the 2018 election manifesto.
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Duleep Trophy: Pacers shine as India B beat India A by 76 runs
Bengaluru, Sep 8: KL Rahul's gumption, which helped him pile a patient fifty, found no resonance among his colleagues as India B pacers led by Yash Dayal pushed India A to a 76-run defeat on the fourth and final day of their Duleep Trophy match here on Sunday.
Chasing 275, India A were bundled out for 198 in their second innings as left-arm seamer Dayal (3/50), with able support from his colleagues Mukesh Kumar (2/50) and Navdeep Saini (2/41), led the India B attack.
Rahul top-scored for 'A' with a 51.
In the first session of the day, India B made 184 all out in their second essay to muster a handy overall lead of 274.
The India A chase began on a shaky note as Mayank Agarwal departed in the second over itself, wafting Dayal away from his body to Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made a wonderful diving catch at second slip.
That brought Riyan Parag to the middle and the right-hander followed the path set on Saturday by Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan.
Parag took on the bowlers and pacer Mukesh bore the brunt of his aggression, getting smoked for two sixes and the second maximum touched the roof of the Chinnaswamy Stadium over the mid-wicket region.
Parag added 48 runs for the second with a rather subdued Shubman Gill, who was dropped by Nitish Reddy at slips off Mukesh on 16, and 31 came off the former's bat in just 18 balls.
But the approach was tough to sustain considering the kind of assistance the bowlers were getting here, and soon his massive hoick off Dayal took an edge off Parag's bat en route to stumper Rishabh Pant.
Gill (21) departed soon, falling to Saini for the second time in the match and on this occasion, he edged the pacer to Pant.
Dhruv Jurel poked Dayal well outside off-stump to Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully, as India batters perished to a combination of bowlers' persistence on that channel and their own carelessness.
They took the lunch at a queasy 76 for four that soon transpired into 99 for six after the dismissal of Shivam Dube and Tanush Kotian, an hour into the lunch.
However, Rahul batted out 180 minutes 121 balls and milked 42 runs for the seventh wicket with Kuldeep Yadav to delay the inevitable.
The standout shot in an otherwise dour innings was a whistling on drive off Mukesh that fetched him a boundary.
But Mukesh had his revenge soon when Rahul feathered a cut off him to Pant, who completed five catches in this innings, soon after reaching his fifty with a single off Saini.
It effectively signalled the end of the road of for India A, though Akash Deep (43, 42b, 3x4, 4x6) gave a few moments of fun with a cavalier innings.
But beyond the entertainment value, it always was a case of when more than if.
Earlier, resuming from their overnight score of 150 for six India B could only 34 runs more to the total before getting bundled out.
Pacer Akash, whom Sarfaraz Khan carted around for five fours in a row the previous day, found his mojo to add the scalps of Washington Sundar and Saini to complete a five-wicket haul (5/56).
The spell will keep his name floating among the contenders when the selectors sit together soon to pick up squad for two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
