“I have never misused the name of the monastery or community priest. I don't need to learn anything from Shivkumar. His statements are being watched and watched by the Vokkaliga community,” he said.

He said why would a religious abbot question the fall of a government?

“What is the connection between the Pontiff and politics? Why would Swamiji talk about the downfall of the government? Religiously, Swamiji is our abbot, why would he be used for political purposes? Kumaraswamy asked the question.

Kumaraswamy said the Congress has tried to use the influence of a religious abbot.

Reacting to the statement that JD-S would not win a single seat in the Lok Sabha elections, Kumaraswamy said Shivakumar had mistakenly referred to JD-S as NDA candidates.

He said, "His intention may have been to speak about his Congress."

After a delegation of NDA candidates visited the Adichunchanagiri Math, the spiritual center of Vokkaliga, on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Minister Shivakuma said that "the pontiff is an intelligent man and will not get involved in politics."

“I am sure he will not get involved in any politics. It is also a known fact that the JD-S supremo (Deve Gowda) had earlier divided the Vokkaliga Math,” Shivakuma said.

The Vokkaliga community plays an influential role in South Karnataka. Both Shivakuma and Kumaraswamy belong to the same community.