“People’s belief in Dharmasthala Temple must not be undermined” : MP Basavaraj Bommai

By Editor

Posted on July 21, 2025

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"People's belief in Dharmasthala Temple must not be undermined" : MP Basavaraj Bommai

Bengaluru: Welcoming state government’s decision to hand over the Dharmasthala case to a Special Investigation Team (SIT), former CM and MP Basavaraja Bommai said the investigation must be conducted in a legal and time-bound manner.

Speaking to the media here on Monday, he said that the locals and police personnel who have served in Dharmasthala for many years are well aware of the area. The complainant has claimed that they are under pressure. It must be investigated who exerted such pressure on the complainant. The police must take appropriate action regarding the incident that occurred. Dharmasthala is an ancient temple known for its spiritual significance and public trust. No actions should be taken that erode the public’s faith in this temple.

Mr CM, don’t shirk from your responsibility

Bommai slammed the state’s Commercial Tax Department for issuing notices to small and micro traders, calling it a severe blow to them. He accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of shifting the blame to the Union Government and evading his responsibilities. The GST Council is a joint responsibility of both the State and the Centre, but the major responsibility lies with the State. The implementation and administration are handled by the state’s Commercial Tax Department. Issuing notices to small traders has now disrupted their businesses severely. The CM must hold discussions with leaders of small traders’ associations. As the Finance Minister, Siddaramaiah must resolve this issue and also ensure a lawful and practical framework is provided for traders to pay taxes in the future.
Asked about Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s recent statement, Bommai retorted that Shivakumar is fully aware of the situation but is trying to mislead people. The notices were issued by officials of the State Commercial Tax Department. No one is putting words into anyone’s mouth. They are simply trying to escape responsibility, he charged.

Image of Bengaluru important

Commenting on the move to divide Bengaluru into five City corporations, the former CM said the city’s importance should not diminish due to the division. Bengaluru is more prominent than the four major cities in India and is even recognized internationally. Any division must ensure that there is no discrimination in development. Creating separate corporations purely for political purposes is not appropriate.

Already, 110 villages have been merged with BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), but they remain underdeveloped. If all these areas are included under a single corporation again, development will continue to be neglected, he remarked.

Major political change ahead

Responding to a question on the internal power struggle within the state Congress for cabinet positions, Bommai reiterated that a major political change is imminent in Karnataka and said regardless of what anyone says, the upcoming developments are inevitable.

When asked about former ministers Sriramulu and Janardhana Reddy coming together, the MP clarified that there’s no need to ‘unite’ them because they have always been close friends, even before entering politics.