Why were govt funds used for Kempegowda's statue, asks K'taka Congress chief D K Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Nov 10: President of Karnataka Congress D K Shivakumar on Thursday questioned as to why government funds were used to install a 108-feet statue of Bengaluru founder Nadaprabhu Kempegowda at the international airport here.
The statue is to be unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 11. Shivakumar said the Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), which runs the Kempegowda International Airport, should have taken up and completed the work on the statue. He referred to the land and funds provided to the airport by the government and the income the facility earns.
The project, besides the statue, has a heritage theme park in an area of 23 acres dedicated to the 16th century chieftain, all costing the government Rs 84 crore.
With the installation of the statue ahead of Assembly polls next year, there seems to be competition between political parties to claim credit for the legacy of Kempegowda, who is revered, especially by the Vokkaliga community that is dominant in Old Mysuru and other parts of south Karnataka.
"Doing it (installing the statue) using government funds is a big crime. We (Karnataka govt) have given the land and also funds for the Bengaluru International Airport Limited. Out of 4,200-acre land, 2,000 acre was given at only Rs 6-lakh per acre. Along with money, they have shares. It (BIAL) should have used its money, why use government money," Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "Airport should have done it, is it not earning? Hasn't their property price increased, we have given over 2,000 acre for commercial exploitation. Why did you need government money? Why is the Chief Secretary quiet? There was no need to use government money."
The BJP government is now behaving as though the statue installation is their party work, he further alleged.
Called the 'Statue of Prosperity,' it is the first, and the tallest bronze statue of a founder of a city as per 'World Book of Records'. The statue, weighing 218 tonne (98 tonnes of bronze and 120 tonnes of steel), has been installed at the Kempegowda International Airport here. It has a sword weighing 4 tonnes.
Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah said the Congress government led by him was the one which had first planned to install the statue of Kempegowda at the airport.
"Who started Kempegowda Jayanti? Who established Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Heritage Area Development Authority? Who named the airport after Kempegowda? It was our government. Our government was the one which decided to install a statue when the airport was named," he said.
JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy accused the BJP government of using Kempegowda for politics. Stating that BJP is in an illusion that they can gain Vokkaliga votes by installing the statue of Kempegowda and getting it unveiled by Modi, he said people would give them a befitting response.
Shivakumar and H D Kumaraswamy are from the Vokkaliga community, so are Ministers C N Ashwath Narayan and R Ashoka who were part of the preparations for statue-unveiling.
Kempegowda, a feudatory ruler under the erstwhile Vijayanagara Empire, founded Bengaluru in 1537. Sculptor and Padma Bhushan awardee Ram Vanji Sutar designed the statue. Sutar built the 'Statue of Unity' in Gujarat and the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru.
As a precursor to the unveiling, 'mruthike' (sacred mud) was collected from over 22,000 locations across the State, which was mixed symbolically with the mud beneath one of the four towers of the statue today. Twentyone special vehicles collected the sacred mud from villages, towns and cities over the last two weeks.
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India describes attack on Fujairah 'unacceptable'
New Delhi (PTI): India on Tuesday described the wounding of three Indians in an attack on the United Arab Emirates' port city of Fujairah as "unacceptable" and pressed for an immediate cessation of hostilities targeting innocent civilians.
New Delhi's reaction came a day after the Indians were injured after a drone attack caused a fire at a major oil industry zone in Fujairah. The UAE had accused Iran of carrying out the strike.
"The attack on Fujairah that resulted in injury to three Indian nationals is unacceptable," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"We call for immediate cessation of these hostilities and the targeting of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians," the spokesperson said.
Jaiswal said India continued to stand for dialogue and diplomacy to deal with the situation so that peace and stability could be restored across West Asia.
"We also call for free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the Strait of Hormuz in keeping with international law. India stands ready to support all efforts for a peaceful resolution of issues," he said.
The attack on Fujairah city came as the ceasefire between the US and Iran came under strain in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and gas pass, remains a major sticking point in the talks. Shipping through the narrow Gulf waterway has been severely disrupted by the conflict, triggering a sharp increase in oil prices and energy shortages in several countries.
The UAE's defence ministry on Monday said its air defence systems engaged 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones launched from Iran.
The ministry affirmed that it "remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront anything that aims to undermine the security of the country."
