BENGALURU: At a time when political parties are indulging in a war of words over the consecration of Ram Mandir, the Karnataka government, which has sought five acres of land from the Uttar Pradesh government to construct a Yatri Nivas (guesthouse) in Ayodhya for its pilgrims, is still awaiting a reply from the Yogi government.
Speaking to TNIE, Karnataka Endowment Minister Ramalinga Reddy said the proposal was not new. “During his tenure as CM, Basavaraj Bommai too had made a similar request. CM Siddaramaiah too had written to his UP counterpart Yogi Adityanath seeking land to build a Yatri Nivas. But so far, there has been no response from the UP government,” Reddy said. In 2020, the then CM BS Yediyurappa too had written to the UP government seeking 2 acres of land.
Commissioner to Endowment Department Basavarajendra H told TNIE that the Karnataka government is building similar guesthouses at Tirupati for Rs 210 crore and Srisailam for Rs 100 crore. “We want to construct a similar one in Ayodhya. We had earlier land in the past too. Now, the authorities in UP will be busy with the consecration ceremony. We will pursue it again,” he said.
In the run-up to Assembly elections in Karnataka, UP CM Yogi Adityanath was in Mandya where he assured the gathering of allotting land for the guest house in Ayodhya. A senior Congress leader on anonymity said that the State Government wants to build a mega building for its pilgrims visiting Ayodhya. “We had sought land. We need to send a representative to the UP government.
If there was the same party government in both the states, things would be different. The UP government can delay the approval, but cannot deny it,” the leader added. Meanwhile, the Endowment Department had recently directed all state-owned temples to offer a special puje on January 22.
‘Cong should explain reason for boycott’
Chikkamagaluru: State JDS president and former CM HD Kumaraswamy on Thursday said that the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is a “Festival of Bharat”. Addressing reporters at a private resort near Mallenahalli in Chikkamgaluru district on Tuesday, Kumaraswamy said the temple in Ayodhya was a long-cherished dream of the people of the country. On Congress leaders deciding to skip the temple inauguration, the JDS leader said that the party should explain why they are not attending the event. The former CM is in Chikka-magaluru since Tuesday where he is meeting JDS senior leaders and MLAs from Mysuru and Mandya regions on the party’s alliance with the BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. When asked if he or sitting MP Sumalatha Ambareesh would contest from Mandya, Kumara-swamy said, “It will be decided after the seat sharing talks with the BJP.”