Chief Minister D K Shivakumar with his wife Usha at the Hassanamba temple in Hassan. Image: Supplied
Hassan: Mother Hassanamba will give a fitting reply to the lies some people tell, Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said in Hassan on Sunday, appealing to the people of the district to back the Congress in all seven Assembly constituencies of Hassan. “For some people, falsehood has become the household deity. Mother Hassanamba will give a fitting reply to the lies they tell. She will look after who should be given what strength and who should be given what punishment. Nobody should worry unnecessarily; we must do our work honestly,” he said.
He was speaking after inaugurating a flower show and the Hassanamba sports festival at the City Municipal Council parking premises in Hassan. Earlier, he spoke to the media near the Hassanamba temple. “Standing in the presence of Hassanamba, I appeal to the people of the district: support the Congress in all seven constituencies of Hassan and give us more strength. I will work in a way that the entire country admires the administration of Karnataka,” he said.
“Religion is not merely worship or a show of devotion. It is a path that builds a person’s self-confidence. Devotees take darshan of the deity and pray for their wishes, but helping people in distress is the truly great dharma. If living for yourself is life, living for the people is the greatest dharma. ‘I and mine’ is adharma; ‘we and ours’ is dharma,” he said.
On the guarantee schemes, he said: “Our government is implementing the five guarantee schemes properly. Treating women as the eyes of the family, we are giving financial assistance to the heads of 1.20 crore families under Gruha Lakshmi. Two days ago, Rs 7,000 crore was credited to the beneficiaries’ accounts.” He said women travel free on buses under Shakti, students have been given free bus passes, Gruha Jyothi provides free electricity up to 200 units and Anna Bhagya gives 10 kg of rice. “We are helping people even in difficult times,” he said.
Speaking about the sports festival, which features wrestling, volleyball and other events, he said he had noticed wrestlers from Nepal and volleyball teams from Tamil Nadu and Kerala taking part. He said he played volleyball in his younger days. “I have not wrestled, but now we are wrestling in politics every day,” he joked.
On the temple’s development, he said lakhs of devotees visit the Hassanamba temple every year and infrastructure is needed for their convenience. There is a shortage of space around the temple and a demand for a Rajagopura to ease devotees’ entry. “In this background, giving Rs 20 crore for comprehensive development is being considered,” he said.
“The temple once had about seven acres of land. Buildings have now come up around it. We have to examine the availability of land needed for devotees. We will call the building owners, discuss it and talk about alternative arrangements. We also have to examine giving compensation under the 2013 Land Acquisition Act. Our aim is to help devotees without troubling anyone,” he said.
Asked about the Rs 25 crore or so earned from special darshan and laddu sales at the temple, he said, “Let us put all the money into development here.”
He said he came to the temple last year as Deputy Chief Minister and this time “more as a devotee than as Chief Minister”. “I have been coming to Hassanamba darshan with my family for about eight years. This goddess has a special power of attraction,” he said.
On the Hassan district administration, he said: “The Deputy Commissioner is working well. But when everyone’s demands cannot be met, pressure comes on them. I am watching what is happening in the administration, and the people are watching too. We will govern on the path of justice, ethics and dharma without worrying about anyone.” He said MP Shreyas Patel is working well for the people of the state in Parliament and also in the district, and prayed that people’s blessings remain with him, Minister Shivalingegowda and all Congress leaders.
Mekedatu does not need Tamil Nadu’s permission, only its cooperation, the Chief Minister said when asked about the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister opposing the project in a letter to the Prime Minister. “People there have still not understood that the Mekedatu project will benefit Tamil Nadu more than Karnataka. The project does not need Tamil Nadu’s permission; only its cooperation,” he said.
“They speak in the interest of their own state. But Tamil Nadu will benefit more from Mekedatu, and they must understand this. Let Tamil Nadu people come to the Mekedatu site once and see the real situation. The project site is on the border of my constituency and the Hanur constituency. The water will be used for Bengaluru’s drinking water. They must understand that water cannot be used for any other purpose,” he said.
He said Karnataka’s right has already been upheld in the Supreme Court. “When I was Water Resources Minister, we petitioned the court and asked for a hearing. A three-judge bench gave its order, and the review petition Tamil Nadu filed was also rejected,” he said. “We will follow the court’s order to give 177 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu. We are not denying Tamil Nadu its share of water.”
“About 400 MW of power will be generated from the project. Preparations have also been made to provide alternative land for about 5,400 hectares of forest area. We will file the required applications, meet the Prime Minister and try to get approval for the project. We have already held several rounds of discussions with the Union Jal Shakti Minister. Union ministers and MPs from the state have also said they will cooperate,” he said.
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