Ayodhya solved; now we'll settle Bababudangiri dispute too: CT Ravi

Chikkamagaluru, Nov 11: In the wake of Supreme Court’s Ayodhya verdict, BJ leader and Karnataka minister CT Ravi has said the state government will soon attempt an out-of-court solution to decades-old Dattatreya Bababudangiri dargah controversy.

The minister said he would invite all stakeholders, including the dargah’s Shakadri family, along with documents from revenue and endowment departments, to find a lasting and amicable solution to the row that’s often called the Ayodhya of the south.

The BJP extended its footprint in coastal and Malnad districts of Karnataka by taking up the Datta Peetha issue in the 1990s, and Ravi is a product of that movement.

Citing revenue department documents, the minister articulated his party’s stand that Datta Peetha and Bababdun darghan are at least 8km apart, and a resolution based on material evidence could be achieved.

In case the talks collapse, then they will resume the ongoing legal battle. The BJP leader blamed the Congress government led by Siddaramaiah for missing an out-of-court opportunity offered by a Supreme Court order three years ago.