TUMKUR: The Siddaganga mutt is all set to invite prime minister-designate Narendra Modi for its centenarian seer Dr Shivakumara Swamiji’s 106th ‘guruvandana’, tentatively scheduled for July.
Though the seer turned 106 on April 1, the mutt authorities held a low key celebrations because of the Lok Sabha elections.
Now, preparations are on for a bigger celebration which would be held either at the mutt or in Bangalore. Former minister V Somanna visited the mutt here on Sunday and held deliberations on inviting Modi. The centenarian seer was introduced to Modi by former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa at a private function in Bangalore a couple of years ago.
Senior BJP leaders Atal Behari Vajpayee and L K Advani had visited the mutt and its to be seen whether Modi gives his appointment this time despite his busy scheduled.Sources said Bharat Ratna is “long overdue” for the seer. He was awarded ‘Karnataka Ratna’ when H D Kumaraswamy was the CM and Yeddyurappa was his deputy during the BJP-JD(S) coalition regime in 2006-07. It is to be seen whether State BJP leaders make an appeal to the BJP government to honour the seer with the country’s highest civilian award recognising his yeomen service of providing free food, shelter and education to children.