Decision to give Rajyotsava award to head of Maratha Mandal angers Kannada activists

Belagavi: Alleging that the Maratha Mandal had always taken stand against the interests of Kannada language, land and its water, various Kannada organisations on Friday condemned the state government’s decision to select its president Rajshree Nagaraju Yadav for Rajyotsava Award.  

Senior Kannada activist and the member of Karnataka Border Area development Authority Ashok Chandaragi has written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil, urging them to withdraw the decision to give the Rajyotsava award to Maratha Mandal president. “The Belagavi-based Mandal has always acted against Karnataka on language and border issues. The organisation does not use Kannada in its boards. It has never celebrated Kannada Rajyotsava. Giving a Rajyotsava award to such an anti-Kannada organisation is an insult to the award. The state government’s decision has angered the Kannada activists,” Chandaragi stated in the letter.

“The successive government followed a norm of giving Rajyotsava awards to eminent personalities aged 60 and above. But in Rajshree’s case it is not followed. There is a feeling here that she has been picked for being the wife of MLC Nagaraju Yadav,” Chandaragi said.

The Kannada activist further said that the state government has ignored eminent personalities from Belagavi, including B S Gavimath, Basavaraj Jagajampi, L S Shastri, S M Kulkarni, H B Kolakar, D S Chougale, Prof Y B Himmadi, who have made immense contribution to cause of Kannada and Karnataka.

He urged the government to revoke the decision to present the Rajyotsava award to Rajshree Yadav and instead pick one of the abovementioned eminent personalities  for the award.