No Bharat Ratna award for Shivakumara Swamy; K'taka CM, leaders disappointed

Bengaluru: Regretting that the Central government did not confer Bharat Ratna on the southern state’s Lingayat seer Shivakumara Swami, who passed away at Tumakuru on Monday, a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said that it was disappointing that Bharat Ratna was not awarded to late Siddaganga seer from Tumakuru posthumously.

Political leaders from the state as well as Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy 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 scores of poor students. His name has been recommended for the award by successive governments in Karnataka.

“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,” tweeted State Congress unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao.

Meanwhile the Kumaraswamy congratulated those from the state chosen to receive the Padma awards.