Vatal demands Bharat Ratna for Dr Rajkumar

Kannada chaluvali paksha chief Vatal Nagaraj on Thursday demanded that late Sandalwood matinee idol Dr Rajkumar be posthumously awarded the 'Bharat Ratna'. Along with the award he also demanded that a bust of the actor must be installed premises of parliament.

Speaking to reporters, Vatal Nagaraj said, "We don't need to explain what type of an actor is Dr Rajkumar. He has been felicitated with many awards for his service in the film field. He has also been felicitated with Dada Saheb Phalke award, which is the biggest honour for a film fraternity. With his simplicity and politeness, Dr Rajkumar he was and still a role model for crores. So he the only honour that is left over in the country and the much desirable award for Rajkumar is 'Bharat Ratna'. So I request President, Prime Minister and our state leaders to take this initiation."

Vatal was accompanied with Sa Ra Govindu, president of Dr Rajkumar fans association and former Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce(KFCC) president and other Kannada activists.

"I was constantly fighting against the injustice that was happening to Kannada and Dr Rajkumar films in front of other language films. In this way I was closely associated with Dr Rajkumar more than 50 years," he added.