Siddaramaiah ought to apologise for permitting smear marketing campaign towards Dharmasthala temple, says Vijayendra

Karnataka BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra on Sunday (August 17, 2025) sought an apology from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and alleged the CM failed to stop “smear marketing campaign” and “slander” towards Dharmasthala Manajunatha temple and its directors utilizing the investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged burial of our bodies in Dharmasthala village greater than a decade in the past.

Speaking to reporters in Dharmasthala after visiting the temple with many different BJP MLAs and MLCs, Mr. Vijayendra urged the State authorities to disclose the main points of the “conspiracy” behind the case to tarnish the repute of the temple and its directors as acknowledged by Deputy Chief Minister D.Ok. Shivakumar final week.

Stating that the BJP is just not indulging in any politics over the Dharmasthala matter, Mr. Vijayendra stated that by indulging in smear marketing campaign utilizing social media there’s a conspiracy to create confusions within the minds of devotees over the temple and its directors.

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He stated that Minister in-charge of Dakshina Kannada Dinesh Gundu Rao, who can also be the Minister for Health and Family Welfare, went on document a couple of days in the past that the federal government ordered the SIT probe bowing to the stress by the Leftist teams. In addition, Mr. Shivakumar has stated that there’s a conspiracy behind the case.

The authorities ought to have managed the smear marketing campaign and slander towards the temple throughout the case but it surely didn’t and so the CM ought to apologise, Mr. Vijayendra stated.

Mr. Vijayendra stated that Mr. Shivakumar has acknowledged that the main points of the conspiracy shall be revealed at an acceptable event. “When will that event will come up? How lengthy the smear marketing campaign and slander towards the temple and its directors ought to proceed ?,” he requested.

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The authorities ought to conduct an inquiry to seek out out the forces behind the smear marketing campaign and slander, the BJP State president stated.

Mr. Vijayendra stated that the Deputy Chief Minister informed the Legislative Assembly final week that he was an ardent devotee of Dharmasthala Manjunatha temple. “If so, he ought to reveal who’re all behind the conspiracy,” Mr. Vijayendra added.

C. T. Ravi, MLC, stated that the federal government ought to conduct an inquiry towards those that indulged in slander and smear marketing campaign towards Pattadhikari of Shree Kshetra Dharmasthala D. Veerendra Heggade and the temple.

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Captain Brijesh Chowta, MP, Dakshina Kannada, Chaluvadi Narayanaswamy, Leader of the Opposition within the Legislative Council, N. Ravi Kumar, Ok. Prathapsimha Naya, Kishore Kumar Puttur, all MLCs, S. R. Vishawanath, Y. Bharat Shetty, D. Vedavyasa Kamath, Bhagirathi Murulya, Yashpal Suvarna, Harish Poonja, Gururaj Ghantiholi MLAs had been amongst those that had been current on the event.

All of them met Mr. Heggade, who can also be a Rajya Sabha Member, and expressed their solidarity with the temple to stop the smear marketing campaign and slander towards the temple.

Of them, Mr. Vishwanath, MLA of Yelahanka, led a rally of about 400 four-wheelers from Nelamangala to Dharmasthala on Saturday (August 16, 2025) to specific solidarity with the temple.