Temple belongs to society, says Minister Balakrishna

RAMANAGARA: A temple belongs to the entire society and not to any individual. Locking its doors and preventing people from entering is condemnable, said Minister H.C. Balakrishna.

Speaking to the media at Kootagal in Ramanagara, he reacted to the incident at Dodda Kurubarahalli in Harohalli taluk, where a temple was reportedly locked to prevent JD(S) leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy from entering.

Balakrishna said everyone had the right to enter a temple and such incidents should not be encouraged. He added that the local MLA had already condemned the incident and expressed hope that similar incidents would not occur elsewhere in the State.

Metro funding dispute

Commenting on the political dispute between the BJP and Congress over Metro funding, Balakrishna said opposition leaders should approach the Central Government and demand the release of funds due to Karnataka instead of engaging in public arguments.

He said Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had already presented the State’s concerns to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Karnataka.

Railway project challenge

Responding to Union Minister V. Somanna’s allegation that the State Government was not cooperating with the Hejjala-Chamarajanagar railway project, Balakrishna offered to personally oversee the land acquisition process.

He challenged Somanna to provide the letter submitted to the Chief Minister regarding the project and said land acquisition could not be completed within just 25 days of submitting a request.

Remarks on JD(S) leaders

Reacting to A.T. Krishnappa’s allegation that the Chief Minister had offered ₹500 crore to JD(S) MLAs, Balakrishna claimed that the funds were discussed in connection with constituency development.

He alleged that the issue was being used for political purposes and made remarks about the competition for the JD(S) ticket between Krishnappa and Masale Jayaram.