Veteran journalist Patil Puttappa has said that he would not receive the ‘Basava Puraskara’ award unless the State government officially recognises S. Nijalingappa as the first Chief Minister of Karnataka.
Speaking at the 127th birth anniversary of Karnatak Vidyavardhak Sangha (KVS) founder Ra. Ha. Deshpande here on Tuesday, Mr. Puttappa said the government records continue to mention K.C. Reddy as the first Chief Minister of Karnataka.
However, Mr. Reddy led the first popular government of the princely State of Mysore after it was acceded into independent India. Similarly, Kengal Hanumanthaiah and Kadidal Manjappa were the Chief Ministers of the same Mysore State, whose jurisdiction was limited to the princely State. It was Nijalingappa who headed the first government of the unified linguistic province of Karnataka as Chief Minister when it came into existence in 1956. Despite several reminders, the State government has not yet taken measures to correct this error, he said.
The State government has chosen Mr. Puttappa for this prestigious national-level award. The award ceremony is yet to be held.
