Karnataka CM regrets Lingayat seer not being awarded Bharat Ratna

Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday regretted that the Central government did not confer Bharat Ratna on the southern state's iconic Lingayat seer Shivakumara Swami, who passed away at Tumakuru on Monday.

"It is disappointing that Bharat Ratna was not awarded to late Siddaganga seer from Tumakuru posthumously," a statement from the Chief Minister's Office said.

Kumaraswamy and other political leaders from the state have been urging for the highest civilian honour to be conferred on the late seer, who set up several educational institutions across Karnataka to provide free education to crores of poor students.

The Chief Minister congratulated those from the state who were chosen to receive Padma awards.

Actor Prabhudheva, Indian Institute of Science (IISc)'S physicist and professor Rohini Godbole, archaeologist Sharada Srinivasan, sarod player Rajeev Tharanath and environmentalist Saalumarada Thimmakka were chosen from Karnataka for Padma awards.

state Congress unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao also SAID it was "disappointing" that the popular seer was not chosen for the Bharat Ratna award.

"While we are proud that senior Congressman Dr Pranab Mukherjee is conferred the Bharat Ratna, we are extremely disappointed PMO and Narendra Modi have ignored our very own walking god Shivakumara Swami who rightly deserved the award," Rao tweeted.

--IANS

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