Seer to undergo 700 km padayatra seeking fulfilment of Billava community demands

Mangaluru: Brahma Sri Narayana Guru Shakti Peeta head Pranavananda Swamiji will undertake a 41-day, 700 km padayatra from Karadala in Kalburgi to Bengaluru, demanding fulfilment of long-pending issues concerning the Ediga, Billava, Namadhari and other communities from January 6. The padayatra will cover about 20 km a day with public meetings planned at 15 locations.

Addressing media people, Swamiji said the Congress election manifesto had promised an annual allocation of Rs 250 crore to the Brahma Sri Narayana Guru Development Corporation.

However, no funds have been released for the past two years. He also noted that although the government appointed Manjunath Poojary as Chairman of the Corporation, the appointment order has not reached him and no office has been established yet.

He said the community should be shifted from the 2A category to the ST category. With the ban on toddy in Kalyana Karnataka, many community members are struggling without basic facilities, making targeted support essential. However, some within the community have expressed objections about seeking ST status, he noted.

Swamiji demanded that a statue of Brahma Sri Narayana Guru be installed in front of Vidhana Soudha and that Rs 100 crore be sanctioned for the development of Koti Chennayya’s birthplace through the Koti Chennayya Development Authority.

He called for Narayana Guru Study Centres in all state-run universities and for one university to be named after the Guru. He also urged the government to propose renaming Mangaluru International Airport after Koti Chennayya.

Further, he sought five acres of land each in Shivamogga, Mangaluru, Karwar and Udupi to set up IAS and IPS training centres.

He said 18 key demands of the community will be highlighted during the padayatra. Despite the community having six MLAs and six MLCs, it has only one minister in the state Cabinet, he added.

Swamiji recalled that the government had earlier sanctioned Rs 25 lakh for a genealogy study of the community. A seven-member committee is currently working on it.

Condemning the Red Fort blast, he said terrorism has no religion and urged strict action against those involved.

Swamiji reiterated the demand for dedicated privilege lanes in airports across India to facilitate the movement of seers and saints, along with toll-gate exemptions for them.