Bengaluru, Dec 21: Ramanagara District in-charge Minister C N Ashwath Narayan has urged Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to constitute a development committee to build a temple at Ramadevarabetta on the lines of Sri Ram temple at Ayodhya.
In a letter to Bommai and Muzrai Minister Shashikala Jolle, he demanded that Ramadevarabetta in Ramanagara district of Karnataka should be developed as the Ayodhya of South India.
Narayan said that Sri Ram temple should be built using 19 acres of space which belong to the Department of Muzrai at Ramadevarabetta.
''There is a strong belief among the people of the region that Sugriva installed Ramadevarabetta. Considering the religious feelings of the people of the district, Ramadevarabetta should be developed as a heritage and attractive tourist spot. This would enable us to portray our culture as well as nurture tourism,'' he has opined.
''People also believe that Sri Rama spent a year here during his days of exile in the forest along with Sita and Lakshmana. They also believe that seven great sages did their penance here. In addition, this is a prominent vulture conservation area in the country,'' the Minister said.
The traditional connection between Ramadevarabetta and Ramayana dates back to the era of Tretayuga, he said in the letter.
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Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has strongly criticised the Centre over the women's reservation and accused it of trying to use it as a "weapon" to tackle the opposition before taking up the delimitation exercise based on population.
"The Union government is not concerned about implementing reservations for women. If their concerns were genuine, they could have done it right away. Rather than doing that, the BJP-led Centre is thinking of using it as a weapon to tackle opposition and take up the delimitation exercise based on population," he told PTI in an interview.
"Hence, the women's reservation must be implemented immediately without showing delimitation as a reason," the DMK president added.
Expressing apprehensions on the proposed delimitation exercise, the CM said it was the DMK that raised the first voice asserting the rights of the state after realising that Tamil Nadu would be affected by the proposed exercise. He also attacked his rival and AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami over the delimitation issue.
Recalling efforts made by the DMK to raise the issue of population-based delimitation, he said an all-party meeting and a meeting of CMs under the auspices of the Joint Action Committee seeking fair delimitation were convened. It sought to freeze delimitation for 25 years and stick to it based on the 1971 Census population.
"We urged the union government that states which successfully implemented population control programmes must not be punished," he added.
The party came up with "Tamil Nadu poradum, Tamil Nadu vellum" (Tamil Nadu will struggle, Tamil Nadu will win) and this is DMK's stand, he said.
"However, Palaniswami, who is seeking votes for the entry of the BJP through the backdoor, has till date been mute over delimitation, and this is a betrayal of the people of Tamil Nadu."
