The Bharatiya Janata Party's 'Dharmasthala Chalo Yatra' has commenced, with a large turnout of workers and leaders joining the convoy. Launched by the party’s South Bengaluru unit on Monday, the yatra is travelling to the famous temple town under the banner 'Dharmada Ulivige Dharma Yuddha,' which translates to "A holy war to protect dharma."
The journey began with prayers at the Sri Vinayaka Temple in Jayanagar, led by MLA CK Ramamurthy. The convoy was flagged off by Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya and Basavanagudi MLA Ravi Subramanya.
In a post on X, Surya stated, "Shree Kshetra Dharmasthala, a revered spiritual centre that is the pride of our land, is now a victim of an organised conspiracy." He said the BJP "unequivocally condemns the false propaganda" being spread against the sacred shrine. Surya also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe "to unearth the larger conspiracy hatched against the temple and its administration." The launch was attended by thousands of party workers, including Umesh Shetty, the vice president of the Bengaluru South district unit of the BJP.
Also read: Dharmasthala complainant's ex-wife calls him a habitual liar
The yatra follows a recent controversy that erupted after a man, later identified as CN Chinnaiah, claimed to have buried a number of bodies, including those of sexually assaulted women, in Dharmasthala. Chinnaiah, who was subsequently arrested on charges of perjury, had made claims implicating the temple's administrators.
The BJP had previously protested against the targeting of the temple, while Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had warned of action if the complaint proved to be false. Veerendra Heggade, the temple's custodian, has also welcomed the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the matter.
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