BJP launches 'Dharmasthala Chalo Yatra' against attempt to malign temple town; Tejasvi Surya & Ravi Subramanya flag off march

Bengaluru: The BJP's 'Dharmasthala Chalo Yatra,' launched by its South Bengaluru unit on Monday, drew a large turnout of workers and leaders as the convoy began its journey to the famed temple town under the banner 'Dharmada Ulivige Dharma Yuddha' (A holy war to protect dharma).

The Yatra, led by Jayanagar MLA C K Ramamurthy, commenced with prayers at the Sri Vinayaka Temple in Jayanagar 4th Block.

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya and Basavanagudi MLA Ravi Subramanya flagged off the journey.

"Participated in the flag-off of BJP Bengaluru South unit's Dharmasthala Chalo Yatra today at the Link Road junction, NICE Road. Shree Kshetra Dharmasthala, a revered spiritual centre that is the pride of our land, is now a victim of an organized conspiracy," Surya said in a post on 'X'.

He said the BJP unequivocally condemns the false propaganda being spread against the sacred shrine of Dharmasthala.

"We demand a CBI probe to unearth the larger conspiracy hatched against the temple and its administration. We were joined by thousands of karyakartas during the launch," he stated.

Vice president of Bengaluru South district unit of BJP, Umesh Shetty, was among the participants.

After reaching the temple town of Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district, leaders are scheduled to walk a kilometre to the Lord Manjunath Swamy temple to offer prayers and meet temple Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade to express the BJP's "complete support to the holy shrine".

The yatra comes amid a controversy that erupted after a complainant, later identified as C N Chinnaiah and arrested on charges of perjury, claimed burying a number of bodies, including those of women with signs of sexual assault, in Dharmasthala over a period of time, with the implications pointing towards the administrators of the local temple. The BJP had protested against targeting the temple. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had also warned of action if the complaint was false.

Veerendra Heggade, the Dharmadhikari or the custodian of the temple, also welcomed the constitution of the SIT.