The BS Yediyurappa led BJP government in Karnataka has sparked another controversy as they announced a 120-feet high statue of Swami Vivekananda to be built on the outskirts of the city.
The Housing minister V Somanna announced the news and said that the statue will be 10 kilometers away from the Bannerghatta National Park, near the Muthyala Maduvu waterfalls in Jigani. The minister also said that the statue is inspired by the Statue of Unity of Sardar Vallabhai Patel.
The opposition has slammed the government for its decision at a time when the state is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, DK Shivkumar said,
“This BJP government in Karnataka doesn’t have priority on what has to be done. Now it is not the time to build any statue. It is time to sort out the problems of the state. The state has to be developed. Look at the problems of migrants, laborers, farmers, and all the sectors. Till today, the Chief Minister hasn’t called a meeting of bankers, farmers. Not a single rupee has reached any farmer, laborer, or anyone who has been doing their jobs. Not even a single rupee has reached a driver.”
The controversy comes days after the government received flak for naming a flyover after the Hindu leader Savarkar. The opposition termed the move as an “insult” to the freedom fighters.
Environmental activists oppose the move
The Vivekananda statue is set to built on a three-acre plot which is a part of the 1900-crore Prime Minister’s Township. Of this, the government has already acquired 780 acres. The government said that the statue will be built by the Karnataka Housing Board. The move will also attract tourists to Muthyala Maduvu, the government said. The place already has a waterfall and is minutes away from the Bannerghatta National Park.
However, environmental activists have condemned the move by the government. The noted environmentalist, Leo Saldana said that the government should not develop the area around the Bannerghatta National Park into a high-density tourist zone.
When Congress was in power, DK Shivkumar had proposed a 114 feet statue of Jesus Christ at Harobele village in Ramanagara.
Source: The News Minute
