Rebutting accusations by the opposition regarding the proposed structure of the airport at Shivamogga, Member of Parliament BY Raghavendra said that the structure is not like that of the lotus.
"The design is based on petals of the flower. Not based on the lotus. It is just a flower shape and has been approved by the Airport Authority of India," he said.
Mr Raghavendra's statement came a week after the opposition party, Congress, blamed that the structure of the officially released 3D sketch of the proposed airport of Shivamogga resembled BJP's symbol lotus.
The son of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa also called the project a prestigious one that would help the region of Karnataka it is located in.
Talking to ANI, he said, "Now the opposition leaders are triggering unnecessary issues. They did not do anything for the project. It is only after my father became the Chief Minister that the airport work took momentum."
He also slammed Congress for using Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi's names for all good projects and structures in India and said that they are now making baseless comments on this prestigious project.
The controversy erupted because several senior BJP leaders of the state, including Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, and the RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale are from Shivamogga, and both the former PM and the deputy PM, AB Vajpayee and LK Advani, were good friends with them.
The controversy was fuelled when BJP leaders from the state shared the alleged lotus-shaped airports' blueprint saying that it was a proud moment for them.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Karnataka's Waqf Policy Treating Hindus As "2nd-Grade" Citizens, Says BJP BJP Issues Show-Cause Notice To Karnataka MLA For 'Anti-Party Activities' "Education Minister Can't Speak Kannada": Student's Remark Draws Action Is Safe Car Enough? Volvo Crash That Killed CEO, Family Sparks Big Question Snack Food Epigamia Founder Rohan Mirchandani Dies Of Cardiac Arrest At 41 "Nothing Short Of Nightmare": Woman Misses Life Event, Slams Air India Couple Tied To Pole, Thrashed By Mob In Bihar. Video Viral In PM's Kuwait Visit, Top Honour, Bilateral Meet, Delegation-Level Talks Putin Meets Slovak Prime Minister at Kremlin: Russian Television Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.