Siddaramaiah slams BJP MP for calls to demolish bus stops with domes

Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Simha said that he will wait for two more days after that he himself will demolish the domes.

Former chief minister and Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah on Tuesday lashed out at Mysuru MP Pratap Simha over his recent statement that he will demolish the “bus shelters on Nanjangud Road with domes on top of it” even as the latter said that he will “only wait for two more days” before demolishing it himself.

“Who is Pratap Simha to demolish the gumbaz (domes)?” Siddaramaiah asked. (PTI)

“Being an MP, he does not have general knowledge. Who is Pratap Simha to demolish the gumbaz (domes)? Did he give money to construct the bus stop? It has been constructed on the government’s money. Officials plan and construct such a structure. They are trying to divide the society ahead of polls, which will not work,” Siddaramaiah said.

“I have seen images on social media of a bus stand on which there were gumbaz (domes). At the centre, there was a big gumbaz and besides that, there were two smaller gumbaz; it is a masjid. I have asked KRILD engineers to remove it within 3-4 days, or else I have told them that I will bulldoze it with a JCB,” Simha had said while addressing a gathering at a cultural event in the city on Sunday. Simhas’s speech went viral on social media.

Simha was referring to the newly constructed bus shelter in the Mysuru-Nanjanagudu road.

On Tuesday, the Lok Sabha member defended his statement and said that he is committed to do what he had said. Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Simha said that he will wait for two more days after that he himself will demolish the domes. “I had made the statement at a book release event. I had said that I will demolish the dome if the officials don’t do it. It has been two days now, I will wait for two more days after which I will demolish them myself,” the MP said.

When asked if he will seek permission from the district administration before the demolition he said that it is not required. “We will demolish only the domes and not the bus shelter. Before constructing it, officials should have taken permission from the National Highways Authority of India, which they have not done. I don’t need to inform the district administration as it comes under NHAI,” he said.

“Some people are commenting on domes in the Vidhana Soudha and Mysore Palace, I want to say that, first they should study a bit about architecture. The domes above mosques are different from that of the Palace or some other buildings. Between, the 16th and 19th centuries, Indo-Persian architecture was introduced in India and several buildings were constructed during this time. After the British came in, the European style of architecture was used, which is called hybrid, which is a mixture of all architecture. You can see the Parliament, Madras High Court and Vidhana Soudha were built in Indo-Gothic style. So, you can’t compare the domes of the masjid with these structures,” he added.