Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s last campaign rally for Karnataka elections 2023 will be a one-stone, three-birds affair in Nanjangud on Sunday. A) The rally is meant to add the ultimate heft to BJP candidate V Somanna’s campaign against Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah in Varuna. B) It is aimed at reaching out to voters in 15 constituencies across Mysore and Chamarajanagar. And C) it ties in perfectly with the BJP’s counter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s “snake” remark at the PM.
In his first, and most important, visit to Nanjangud, the Prime Minister is scheduled to visit the historical Sri Srikanteshwara Swamy Temple, also known as the Nanjundeshwara Temple.
The visit, political observers say, is possibly meant to hint at the association of Lord Shiva amid the controversy over Kharge’s “snake” remark. After the Congress chief called the PM a “poisonous snake” during campaigning, the BJP thundered that PM Modi is Neelkanth, another name for Lord Shiva, which means one who can withstand the pain of poison.
The ancient temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is located in the pilgrimage town of Nanjanagudu in Mysore district. It stands on the banks of river Kapila, a tributary of the Kaveri. The word ‘nanju’ means ‘poison’ in Kannada, from where the town got the name ‘Nanjangudu’, which means ‘the abode of god Nanjundeshwara”.
Legend says 18th century ruler Tipu Sultan, on the advice of his minister Sri Poornayya, sent his royal elephant to the temple when it went blind. It is said that after 48 days of rituals, the elephant’s vision was restored and Tipu Sultan offered an emerald green Shivalinga to the temple as a token of gratitude.
On the penultimate day of his campaign in Badami, the Prime Minister said the “overwhelming response” he received in his Bengaluru roadshow made him believe that it is the people who are contesting the elections on behalf of the BJP.
“This morning, I went to have a ‘darshan’ of ‘janata janardhan’ in Bengaluru. People gave me never-seen-before love and affection,” he said at a public meeting in Bagalkote district.
Taking a swipe at Siddaramaiah who was elected from Badami constituency in the 2018 Karnataka elections, the Prime Minister said: “I have heard that Siddaramaiah is saying that whatever development has happened in the last 3.5 years was due to his government’s efforts. His confessional statement is self-explanatory that if there is anyone who does the work then it is the double-engine government and does so without discrimination.”
Voting for Karnataka elections 2023 will take place on May 10 and the counting of votes will take place on May 13.
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