Parashurama Statue: Congress leader accuses Karkala MLA of hurting religious sentiments

PTI, Sep 18, 2024, 12:25 PM IST

Udupi: Karkala Congress leader Muniyalu Uday Shetty has accused the local MLA of corruption in constructing the Parashurama statue at Umikal Hill in Bailur, Karkala taluk.

Addressing presspersons on Wednesday, September 18, alleged that there was corruption in the project and continuous lies to the public, which have hurt the religious sentiments of the people. He urged society to boycott such anti-religious public representatives to prevent further danger.

Shetty claimed that public money had been looted, and despite knowing that the upper portion of the Parashurama statue was fake, the MLA hid this fact from the people. According to Shetty, the MLA has been spreading false propaganda, insisting that everything he did was correct. Even after the court raised concerns, the MLA continued to submit documents falsely claiming the statue was authentic, which Shetty found astonishing. He called for an immediate boycott of the MLA and a thorough investigation into the corruption allegations.

Shetty also criticized Krishna Naik, the person responsible for constructing the statue, claiming that Naik lacked proper expertise. Shetty stated that Naik has been making conflicting statements, and if the statue is to be reconstructed, it should be handed over to a different team of experts.

Uday claimed the MLA was misleading the public with false statements to cover up his corrupt practices. He further alleged that the MLA was using the Parashurama Theme Park project for political gain while falsely blaming Congress for obstructing tourism development.

Shetty praised Congress’s contributions to Karkala’s tourism sector, particularly during the Mahamastakabhisheka festival when Congress allocated lakhs of rupees for the area’s development. He argued that the MLA’s initiatives, such as Karkalotsava, were merely money-making ventures and did not contribute to genuine tourism development.

Opposition to the Kasturirangan Report

Shetty also criticized the BJP for misleading the public by spreading fear regarding the implementation of the Kasturirangan Report and the Tiger Conservation Project. He vowed that Congress would not allow these initiatives to be implemented in the state.

Senior leaders, including K. Krishnamurthy Acharya, Ramesh Kanchan, Vinay Kumar Kabyadi, and Yogesh Inna, were present at the press conference.