Kumaraswamy bats for Bharat Ratna for Siddaganga seer
Bengaluru, Jan 31: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Thursday asked followers of Shivakumara Swamiji to play a major role for getting the Bharat Ratna conferred on the late Seer.
This is seen as a bid to woo the politically and numerically strong Lingayat community in Karnataka ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
"We honestly want to honour your sentiments. I am convinced that you will intensify your respect for Parama Pujya Swamiji and you will enable us to felicitate Swamiji with the Bharat Ratna..," Kumaraswamy said.
The 111-year-old seer, who was addressed as the "Walking God", died on January 21.
"Today, there have been some flaws in giving the Bharat Ratna awards but if you empower us with an opportunity, we will honour your wish by giving the award to the Swamiji," Kumaraswamy asserted.
The chief minister was addressing a huge gathering at Siddaganga Mutt at Tumkur during the 11th day ritual to mark the passing away of the seer.
Known for his philanthropy, the Swamiji turned his Siddaganga Mutt into a major education centre for students of underprivileged communities, built schools and hostels and started feeding hundreds of students free of cost, much before the mid-day meal programme was conceived by governments.
The seer's followers spread across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra demanded that the country's highest civilian award be conferred on him.
Harping on the public demand to honour the Swamiji with the Bharat Ratna, Kumaraswamy said "I am very confident that in all likelihood we will get the opportunity to give Bharat Ratna to the Swamiji in the next 6-7 months. I have conveyed the message subtly."
Kumaraswamy said during his previous stint as chief minister in 2006, he had written to the President to confer the award on the seer.
The chief minister told the audience that he honestly wanted to honour their sentiments.
Former chief minister Siddaramaiah also echoed Kumaraswamy's views.
He said the Swamiji was a "Vishwa Ratna" (a gem of the world).
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ED searches: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses Centre of targeting Cong leaders
Chamarajanagara (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday accused the central government and its agencies of consistently targeting Congress members by using searches on their properties, and questioned why similar action is not taken against BJP leaders.
He was reacting to searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate on Monday on several individuals, among them the sons of Karnataka Congress MLA N A Haris and the grandson of former Union Cabinet minister K Rahman Khan, in connection with a cryptocurrency-linked money laundering case.
"The central government always targets Congress leaders. Will they raid the houses of BJP leaders?" Siddaramaiah said in response to a question. More than a dozen premises in the city were searched as part of the operation carried out by the ED under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The premises searched comprised those of Mohammed Haris Nalapad and Omar Farook Nalapad, the sons of the MLA; Aqeeb Khan, the grandson of veteran Congress leader K Rahman Khan; and an alleged crypto hacker, Srikrishna Ramesh, alias Sriki, officials said.
The money laundering case stems from Karnataka Police FIRs and charge sheets filed in a 2017 case involving the hacking of national and international websites, theft of bitcoins, and the sale of these stolen virtual digital assets (VDAs) through crypto platforms by the alleged hacker Sriki and his associates.
Mohammed Haris Nalapad, Omar Farook Nalapad, and Aqeeb Khan are alleged to be beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime generated through this crypto-linked activity, officials added.
