Credit war over temple funds continues

Belagavi: The political tug-of-war between women and child development minister Laxmi Hebbalkar and Belagavi MP Jagadish Shettar intensified on Monday over who deserves credit for securing central funds for the development of Renuka Yellamma Temple in Saundatti.Addressing a press conference in Belagavi, Shettar accused the state government of attempting to claim entire credit for the temple's development. His remarks were in response to Hebbalkar's recent statement discrediting his role in securing funds for the temple.Recently, Hebbalkar stated that Shettar had no significant role in the fund sanctioning process, attributing the entire credit to the tourism minister HK Patil. In a rebuttal, Shettar pointed out that in Nov 2024, the Union tourism ministry approved funds of Rs 100 crore for development at the temple.Shettar said: "Govt announced a Rs 199 crore master plan for the development of Renuka Yellamma Temple on the Tirupati model, and another temple near Bengaluru through the governor's speech. But the same is not reflected in the budget, highlighting the state government's tactic to take sole credit for the initiative without acknowledging the centre's contribution.""I'm not seeking personal credit, but my role cannot be dismissed. I wrote letters, held meetings with officials, and followed up personally to ensure the proposal of the state government was taken seriously by the centre for Renuka Yellamma Temple," Shettar explained.