Bengaluru: The BJP has been planning to make the ceremony of unveiling of the statue of Bengaluru founder Kempe Gowda in the premises of the Kempe Gowda International Airport in Bengaluru, a mega event.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to arrive here for the ceremony on November 11. The BJP has prepared various programmes before the event.
The dominant Vokkaliga community worships and celebrates him. He is also seen as the icon of the community.
The BJP government in Karnataka during the tenure of B.S. Yediyurappa as the Chief Minister, finalised the name of Kempe Gowda for the airport. The party has been trying to take credit for installation of 108-feet tall statue of Kempe Gowda at Bengaluru International Airport (BIA).
The campaign across the state for sacred mud collection to be used for the development of Kempe Gowda theme park at BIA will be flagged off by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on October 21 in front of Vidhana Soudha.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, C.N. Ashwath Narayan, Minister and Vice-Chairperson of the Kempe Gowda Heritage Area Development Authority, said: “The campaign will run till November 7 and during this period vehicles named as ‘Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda Ratha’ will collect the sacred mud across all the districts of the state.
“The sacred mud thus collected will be used during the unveiling of 108 feet statue of the Bengaluru founder by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 11.”
“To ensure the success of the campaign committees have been formed at the district level. When the vehicles enter the district they will be welcomed with ‘purna kumbas’,” he said.
Religious leaders, elected representatives, writers, progressive farmers, members of self help groups, senior citizens, milk producers federations and industrial associations will be involved in the campaign, Narayan stated.
Later, Narayan visited the residence of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda at Padmanabhanagar, and invited him to participate in the inaugural event of sacred mud collection on October 21.
–IANS