MANGALORE: As a former CM and present CM roll their sleeves to take oath before the presiding deities in Dharmasthala temple on June 27, the ultimate ‘truth test’, however, has been dismissed with a shrug in the temple’s own backyard.For this is not the first time rival politicians have invoked the presiding deities in Dharmasthala temple to mediate in their petty politicking and dispense justice in their favour. Veterans in the District Congress Committee recollect that it was present Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily who first politicised the practice of approaching Dharmasthala for justice.In November 1983, late Byre Gowda, who had extended outside support to Ramakrishna Hegde’s Janata government along with other Independent MLAs, dropped a bombshell by accusing then Opposition Leader M Veerappa Moily of buying his loyalty.“Moily challenged Gowda to take oath before Heggade, who represents the presiding deities in Dharmasthala temple,” a senior Congress leader said, on conditions of anonymity. In May 2009, Nalin Kumar Kateel, riding high on his landslide victory against Congress veteran B Janardhan Poojary, played on the distrust within the Congress by attributing his victory to B Ramanath Rai, former minister and president of District Congress Committee. Rai had challenged Kateel to reveal the truth before the divinity.A year ago, Shoba Karandlaje, as Minister for Panchayat Raj, had challenged JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy to take the ‘truth test’ when the latter had accused her of owning properties in Kodagu.The million dollar question is will Yeddyurappa and Kumaraswamy face the truth test. In all past instances where the divinity was invoked, the warring politicians never even made it to the steps of the temple.
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