BANGALORE: Veteran Parliamentarian Meriyanda Chengappa Nanaiah, a five-time Legislative Council member, was felicitated with Ramakrishna Hegde Award at a programme held in Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat on Wednesday.
Speaking on the occasion, Nanaiah said, “When I was first elected in 1985, I asked myself, what helped Devaraj Urs bring about a political change in the State? Can I do it too? Since then, I have tried my level best to make politics dynamic, clean and honest. I think Ramakrishna Hegde, S R Bommai, J H Patel and Deve Gowda are perhaps responsible for what politics is today. May be they got too personal in their differences, regardless of their political contributions, “ Nanaiah, a JD(S) MLC, remarked.
Former chief minister late Ramakrishna Hegde was also fondly remembered for his political honesty and determination. “He always encouraged the young and appreciated efficient politics,” Nanaiah observed.
Nanaiah started his political career with the erstwhile Janata Party, and he was a staunch follower of Ramakrishna Hegde. People come and go in politics, and not everyone gets to taste power. As a companion of Hegde, Nanaiah stood for morals and ethics in politics, said Minister for Kannada and Culture Govind M Karjol on the occasion.
MLCs B L Shankar, Y S V Dutta, actor and film-maker T N Seetharam and Chairman of Kannada Development Authority Mukhyamantri Chandru were among those present on the occasion. The programme was organised by Bharat Yatra Kendra and Karnataka Forum for Political Thinkers.