The BJP South Bengaluru district unit will travel to Dharmasthala on Monday under the theme “Dharmada Ulivige Dharma Yuddha” (a holy war to protect dharma), led by district president and Jayanagar MLA C K Ramamurthy.
According to the party’s media in-charge T S Subrahmanya, the march will begin at 6 am with prayers at Sri Vinayaka Temple in Jayanagar 4th Block. At 7.30 am, South Bengaluru MP Tejasvi Surya and Basavanagudi MLA Ravi Subramanya will flag off the convoy of nearly 400 vehicles near NICE Road close to PES University. Leaders and workers from Jayanagar, BTM Layout, Vijayanagar and Govindarajnagar constituencies will join the journey.
Once in Dharmasthala, participants will walk a kilometre to the Lord Manjunath Swamy temple to offer prayers and meet Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade. The BJP said it wants to express its full support to the shrine.
The pilgrimage comes amid controversy after a complaint alleged that bodies, including those of women with signs of sexual assault, had been buried in Dharmasthala over time. The accusations pointed towards the temple’s administration, sparking political tensions.
The BJP strongly opposed the allegations, calling them an attack on the temple. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had also warned of action if the complaint turned out to be false. Heggade himself welcomed the SIT probe into the claims. On Saturday, officials confirmed that the complainant was arrested by the SIT investigating the case.
