Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa. (File photo)
HUBBALLI: Chief minister BS Yediyurappa’s announcement of constructing a pilgrims’ centre for Karnataka devotees in Ayodhya has triggered a controversy with Kannadigas visiting Delhi urging him to meet the long-pending demand of constructing a Yatri Nivas in the national capital.
V G Hegade, president, Delhi Karnataka Sangha (DKS), told TOI that the Delhi Yatri Nivas is pending since 10 years. “My predecessors have been urging the government to sanction funds for the Nivas. Currently we can accommodate 30 members and we have restricted it to artists and writers of Karnataka who visit here to participate in programmes. We have also been facilitating Kannadiga pilgrims visiting Kedarnath, Badrinath, Amarnath and Ayodhya. If Karnataka government constructs and maintains a Nivas, well and good. Otherwise we are ready to share the construction cost and even to maintain it if government requires our service,” he added.