TUMAKURU: The demand to bestow the Bharat Ratna on Sri Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddaganga Mutt came to the fore once again during the celebration of the seer’s 118th birth anniversary here on Tuesday.
Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar appealed to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to prevail upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to confer the country’s highest civilian award posthumously on the swamiji. Seconding Shivakumar, Suttur Mutt head Sri Shivaratri Deshikendra Swamiji requested Singh to take note of the demand.
“Sri Shivakumara Swamiji is a revered person who shaped the lives of thousands of children and nurtured achievers by providing food, education and shelter without discriminating against caste and religion. He should be honoured with the Bharat Ratna,” said Shivakumar, who presided over the function.
“I appeal on behalf of the people of Karnataka and the state government that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh should bring the issue to the attention of the PM and the Central government,” he said. But Singh, who commended the contribution of the swamiji, did not respond to Shivakumar in his speech.
Union Minister of State for Railways V Somanna took a dig at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for not responding to the Home Ministry’s communication regarding the naming of Tumakuru railway station after the seer. “I will take up the issue with Siddaramaiah in New Delhi,” he said. The Suttur seer asked Shivakumar to take note of this.
The Karnataka government had conferred the state’s highest civilian award -- Karnataka Ratna -- on the 111-year-old Swamiji on his centenary in 2007, while the Centre had conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2015. In 2017, the state government, headed by Siddaramaiah, had officially proposed to the Centre to confer Bharat Ratna on the seer who passed away on January 21, 2019.