the story So Far: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to unveil a 108-feet bronze statue of Bengaluru’s founder Kempegowda at the premises of Bengaluru International Airport in Devanahalli on November 11.
Former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced plans to install a bronze statue of Kempegowda at the city’s international airport in the year 2019 at a cost of 100 crores. Vokkaliga leader and Higher Education, IT/BT, Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, as Vice-Chairman – Kempegowda Heritage Area Development Authority has led the project.
ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನಾಡಪ್ರಭು ಕೆಂಪೇಗೌಡ ಅವರ 108 ಅಡಿ ಎತ್ತರದ ಪ್ರತಿಮೆಯು ಅನಾವರಣಗೊಳ್ಳಲಿದೆ. ಅಲ್ಲದೆ ಕೆಂಪೇಗೌಡ ಅವರ ಇತಿಹಾಸ, ಸಾಧನೆ & ಪರಂಪರೆಯನ್ನು ಸಾರುವ ಆಕರ್ಷಕ ಕೆಂಪೇಗೌಡ ಥೀಮ್ ಪಾರ್ಕ್ ಕೂಡಾ ನಿರ್ಮಾಣಗೊಳ್ಳಲಿದೆ. @BSBommai ಸರ್ಕಾರವು ನಾಡ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿಗೆ ಶ್ರಮಿಸಿದ ವೀರರಿಗೆ ಗೌರವ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ. #StatueOfProsperity pic.twitter.com/aE1v4ZYvV9
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) October 20, 2022
Government named it as ‘Statue of Prosperity’
The state government has named it the “Statue of Prosperity” on the lines of Sardar Patel’s “Statue of Unity” unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat. Since Kempegowda, a chieftain of Yelahanka, credited with being the founder of Bengaluru and developed about 1,000 lakes in the city to meet the drinking water requirement and also for agricultural needs, the state government called the statue the ‘Statue of Prosperity’. ‘ Named, said the officer.
The idol is 108 feet tall and weighs 220 tonnes. “This is the land of Kempegowda. The airport is named after him. It is fitting to have his statue here. It is also a symbol of the progress of the state. He is a great visionary who built Bengaluru. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai recently said that when Bengaluru is growing at a fast pace, his statue will be the inspiration for all development works of the government.
politics behind the statue
The ruling BJP that did not enjoy loyalty vote base among vokkaligassoOne of the two major land-owning communities in the state is keen to expand its footprint in the community and there in the old Mysore region where the party is weak.
While the party has a loyal vote bank among Lingayats, concentrated mainly in northern Karnataka, their lack of support in the old Mysore region has so far prevented them from securing a simple majority in the state, according to party strategists. believes. Both the times, the BJP has formed governments in the state in 2008 and 2019 by poaching MLAs of other parties under Operation Kamala. “The party leadership has understood that Vokkaliga votes are very important for securing a clear majority in the next assembly elections. The central leadership, including Home Minister Amit Shah, has asked state leaders to work on strategies to build cadres at the grassroots in the Vokkaliga stronghold,” a senior BJP leader told The Hindu.
Currently, the JDS led by HD Deve Gowda and HD Kumaraswamy and the Congress led by DK Shivakumar are vying for Vokkaliga votes. It is worth mentioning that Mr Yediyurappa had announced the Kempegowda statue project in 2019 after massive opposition from the community, alleging that central government agencies were targeting Mr Shivakumar and Mr Kumaraswamy. Mr. Shivakumar has since been made the state Congress president. Mr Yediyurappa also constituted the Vokkaliga Development Board and allocated ₹500 crore to it.
Government on campaign to collect mud from across the state
Meanwhile, ahead of the unveiling ceremony of a 108-feet bronze statue of Bengaluru’s founder Kempegowda in the premises of Bengaluru International Airport, the state government launched a 45-day campaign. During the campaign launched by Shri Basavaraj Bommai, soil will be collected from lakes, ponds, kalyanis, rivers, pushkarinis and nallahs in all villages of the state. Soil will also be collected from the homes of the achievers in different areas across the state. It will be used to develop a theme park containing the statue.
Theme park will be developed in 23 acres where the statue has also been installed. Dr. Ashwath Narayan said that a total of 46 places related to the history of Bengaluru will also be revamped, which will help people to acknowledge the contribution of Kempegowda.