Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday agreed to the demand by Lingayat seers to install a 108-foot tall statue of Sri Basaveshwara on the banks of the Ghataprabha river in Belagavi district. This comes ahead of the upcoming Assembly election and the expected announcement of the model code of conduct for the polls.

Bommai made the promise while laying down the foundation stone for a new Sri Basaveshwara statue in Goaves Circle in South Belagavi. He said the necessary instructions to install the 108-feet-tall statue will be given with a view to making it an international tourist spot.
“The preachings of the 12th-century social reformer have become part of our lives,” Bommai was quoted as saying by ANI about Sri Basaveshwara.

In May 2022, Union Home Minister Amit Shah paid homage to Basavanna on the occasion of Basava Jayanti in Bengaluru.