BJP criticizes Cauvery Aarti proposal, targets govt's Haridwar & Kashi visits

BENGALURU: BJP ridiculed the govt's decision to send a delegation of officials to Haridwar and Kashi to study the Ganga Aarti which the state intends to replicate with a ‘Cauvery Aarti'.
In a post on social media, opposition leader in the assembly R Ashoka took a dig at the govt for what he called its "unprecedented interest" in Hindu rituals.
"This govt, which reopened 30-year-old cases and jailed Kar Sevaks during the inauguration of the Ayodhya Ram Temple, and the same govt that loaded Ganesh idols onto police vans, is now suddenly showing interest in Hindu traditions.Isn't this just acting (sic)?" Ashoka asked.
He also targeted deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, urging him to penalise those involved in communal violence in Karnataka. "Mr. Deputy Chief Minister, if you genuinely care about the nation and religion, first arrest those who raised 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans in the Vidhana Soudha and those responsible for the riots during the Ganesh Visarjan in Nagamangala and Davanagere," Ashoka said in his post. He also asked whether conducting a Cauvery Aarti would appease "Mother Cauvery".
Ashoka criticised the recent visit of Mandya in-charge minister N Cheluvarayaswamy and other officials to Haridwar and Kashi, where they studied the Ganga Aarti model for three days. "If officials are now required to go again, what did the minister and his team do during their visit? Did they go just to have fun with govt funds?" he asked.
The Siddaramaiah govt is planning to hold the Cauvery Aarti during the historic Dasara festivities in Mysuru. The proposed locations include Nimishamba temple in Srirangapatna and KRS Dam in Mandya district.