Modi's 'Bharat ki baat sabke saath': Karnataka polls reverberate in London

The reverberations of the Karnataka assembly polls will be heard in London on Wednesday afternoon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to spend Wednesday in London. He has several engagements, including a meeting with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, an audience with the British Queen and his much awaited interaction with the Indian diaspora, 'Bharat ki baat sabke saath'.

But, true to form for a 24X7 politician, the forthcoming Karnataka assembly polls are not far from the PM's mind. Modi is scheduled to offer 'pushpanjali', or floral tributes, at the bust of 12th century Lingayat philosopher Basaveshwara, or Basavanna, at 11.10 am local time, or 4.40pm IST.

The PM had unveiled the bust of Basavanna on the banks of river Thames during his visit to the UK in 2015. Neeraj Patil, a former mayor of Lambeth, a London borough, and a community medical doctor, had worked to get the statue installed.

Tumkur mutt seer Shivakumar Swami had also blessed the project, whose foundation stone was laid in February 2013.

In recent weeks, both Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah have called on the 110-year-old seer.

Interestingly, the Tumukur mutt, as well as the seer have endorsed the Siddaramaiah government's proposal to consider Lingayats as a separate religion.

Consolidated support of the Lingayats is crucial if the BJP is to do well in the Karnataka assembly polls, scheduled for May 12.

On Wednesday morning, Modi tweeted: "On his jayanti, I bow to Bhagwan Basaveshwara. He has a special place in our history and culture. His emphasis on social harmony, brotherhood, unity and compassion always inspires us. Bhagwan Basaveshwara brought our society together and gave importance to knowledge."

Congress president Rahul Gandhi also tweeted his "tributes to Basavanna on the auspicious occasion of Basava Jayanti."

According to the PM's website, in his speech delivered after unveiling the statue in 2015, Modi had "described Basaveshwara as a great philosopher and social reformer who had fought against social evils of his time, and worked for the strengthening of democracy at grassroots."

In 2015, the PM had also inaugurated a memorial to BR Ambedkar in London. He is likely to acknowledge Ambedkar’s contribution in his speech after paying tributes to Basaveshwara.

The Modi government has come for sustained criticism for its delay in filing a review petition, or issuing an ordinance, in the wake of the Supreme Court ‘diluting’ the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.