Prime Minister Narendra Modi began the first of his series of public rallies in the State at Santhemarahalli on Tuesday by recalling the Kannada thespian Dr. Rajkumar and poet G.P. Rajarathnam, who were natives of the region, in his bid to strike an emotional connect with the voters.
Dr. Rajkumar was born in Gajanur, which is in Tamil Nadu but borders the region, and had strong links with Chamarajanagar district ever since he entered the world of theatre and cinema. Mr. Modi’s reference to him was received well by the crowd.
Mr. Modi also evoked the memory of Rajarathnam, a native of Gundlupet. The other icons and motifs of the region he referred to in his opening remarks included Manteswamy, said to be a 15th century saint and part of a local tradition in southern Karnataka, the Male Mahadeshwara temple, Biligiri Ranganatha Swamy at B.R. Hill, Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, and rthe Chamarajeshwara temple. He also mentioned Chamaraja Wadiyar, the Wadiyar king after whom the district is named.
The PM paid respects to the seers of the various mutts flourishing in the region and commanding a large following, including Suttur Mutt, Kanakagiri Mutt, and Saluru Mutt at M.M. Hills.
Incidentally, Mr. Modi’s rally at Santhemarahalli was the first by a Prime Minister for most of the residents. The size of the crowd surpassed all expectations of the organisers, which did not go unnoticed by Mr. Modi during his 45-minute speech.
While a few farmers had faint memories of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visiting T. Narsipur, which is 22 km of Santhemarahalli, others recalled that Congress president Rahul Gandhi too has passed through the region after his visit to B.R. Hills, but it was only a roadshow, not a public rally.
There was a steady stream of people from across the district, including Gundlupet, Kollegal, Hanur, Yallandur, T. Narsipur, and Nanjangud, at Mr. Modi’s rally.
There was tight security at the venue, with nearly 30 metal detectors placed to prevent overcrowding and ease passage of the crowd.
While the choice of Santhemarahalli, deep in the hinterland of the southernmost tip of the State, was a surprise, the local organisers said it was because of the availability of open spaces there to accommodate a large crowd, unlike at the district headquarters of Chamarajanagar, which was 14 km from the venue.
