'Conversion jihad' in Dharmasthala, conspiracy to take temple under govt control: LoP Ashoka

Vijayanagara (Karnataka), Aug 25 (IANS) The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Karnataka Assembly, R. Ashoka, commenting on the developments surrounding the alleged mass grave case, claimed that ‘conversion jihad’ activities were taking place in the temple town of Dharmasthala.

He alleged that all this was being done to bring the Dharmasthala temple under government control.

Ashoka spoke to reporters after inspecting the Tungabhadra reservoir in Vijayanagara district of the state on Monday.

Ashoka alleged, "When I said in the Assembly that there is a skull gang operating in Dharmasthala, the ruling Congress leaders opposed it. Just like 'love jihad', 'conversion jihad' activities are taking place. It was CM Siddaramaiah's government that put a mask on the complainant."

"It has come to light that medical student Ananya Bhat's existence is a lie. Her mother Sujatha Bhat claimed that her daughter has gone suspiciously missing in Dharmasthala. Later she claimed that she doesn't have a daughter. Afterwards, Sujatha Bhat again claimed that Ananya Bhat is her daughter and she gave the earlier statement under pressure," he said.

Ashoka further claimed, "People went to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's office and claimed that hundreds of murders have taken place. Listening to such people, CM Siddaramaiah spent Rs 2-3 crore on investigations. Some passerby demanded an Special Investigation Team (SIT), and for that, they formed an SIT."

"All this has been done to include the Dharmasthala shrine under the Muzrai department," Ashoka alleged.

"The background of the person who brought the skull should have been enquired into earlier. Why was he suddenly made to wear a mask to hide his identity? If he hadn't worn a mask, the people from his village would have described what kind of thief he is. The government lacks common sense," Ashoka slammed.

Taking about the Tungabhadra dam, Ashoka stated, "If the Congress ministers had repaired the gates of the Tungabhadra reservoir earlier, a lot of water could have been saved, and crop loss could have been avoided."

The Tungabhadra reservoir can store up to 105 TMC of water. However, officials have informed that if more than 80 TMC of water is stored, the gates could get damaged. Therefore, they are not storing more water. Since it is very old, Rs 52 crore has been allocated to repair all the gates, he said.

"A lot of water has flowed away wastefully. If the gates had been repaired earlier, about 180 TMC of water could have been saved. If the ministers had visited this area, the saved water could have been provided to the farmers. Congress leaders should have shown the same enthusiasm for coming here as they do for going to Delhi," Ashoka chided.

"Due to the water flowing away wastefully, water has been lost for about 6-7 lakh hectares of land in this region, causing damage to crops. If water had been available, it would have been very beneficial for the farmers. But the Congress ministers are only preparing for the November revolution. As a result, funds were not released quickly, and the repair work did not take place," he said.

--IANS

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