Writer and former Kannada Book Authority chairman Banjagere Jayaprakash has criticised the BJP Ministers of the State for finding fault with Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar’s support for installing a statue of Jesus at Kanakapura.
Speaking at a seminar on Kuvempu, organised to mark the 115th birth anniversary of the poet at K.R. Pet on Saturday, Mr. Jayaprakash said, “Kuvempu called Karnataka the land of people belonging to all religions living in peace. But the Ministers of the State government do not want it to remain so.”
He said that as a representative of the people, Mr. Shivakumar has to cater to the needs of everyone in his constituency, irrespective of their religion. “Shivakumar has built many temples, I know. I appreciate him for supporting the project to install a statue of Jesus,” he said. “BJP leaders are asking him why not a statue of Balagangadharanatha Swami or the Siddaganga Mutt seer. It shows they want to indulge in caste-based politics.”