BJP stages protest in Karnataka’s Shivamogga, alleges conspiracy to tarnish image of Dharmasthala

The Shivamogga city unit of the BJP on Saturday took out a protest march alleging a conspiracy fuelled by vested interests to tarnish the image of Dharmasthala.

Hundreds of party workers and leaders participated in the march from Ramanna Shreshthi Park to Gopi Circle. They raised slogans against the Karnataka government, the Congress party, and the people who demanded a probe into the alleged mass burials in Dharmasthala.

Shivamogga Lok Sabha member B.Y. Raghavendra, addressing the protesters, said that a few people with vested interests hatched a conspiracy to tarnish the image of Dharmasthala, a holy place for the Hindus. The BJP had launched a State-wide campaign against the ‘conspiracy’.

“The State government had formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged burials in Dharmasthala. However, the SIT, instead of checking the background of the whistleblower, decided to dig up places identified by him,” Mr. Raghavendra said.

MLA for Shivamogga S.N. Channabasappa said that the recent developments had exposed the truth behind the allegations involving Dharmasthala. The Congress, too, had joined hands with the conspirators by forming a SIT to probe the matter, he alleged.

N.K. Jagadish, BJP district president; R.K. Siddaramanna, former MLC; and others took part in the protest.