Chikkaballapura: Forest minister R Shankar has become a laughing stock for asking the identity of the statue that he had garlanded, while interacting with the press. The incident occurred at Muddenahalli in the Chikkaballapura district.
The statue that the minister had garlanded was that of Sir M Visvesvaraya, one of the most famous personalities in the state. In a video that has now gone viral, Shankar can be seen asking a member of his staff for the identity of the man whose statue was in front of him.
Shankar, who was in Chikkaballapura for a review meeting, had been to inspect the Visvesvaraya Institute of Advanced Technology, and while he was returning from the institute, the locals requested him to garland the newly erected statue of Sir Visvesvaraya.
After this, when the media asked the minister about his activities in the district, he listed his various engagements but got confused when he spoke about the statue. It was at this time that he asked his staff whose statue he had garlanded.
Officials at the forest department have tried to play the incident down by stating that the minister was trying to confirm the identity of the person who had sponsored the statue.