After the nixing of Tipu Jayanti celebrations in the State, Panditharadhya Shivacharya Swami of Sanehalli Mutt in Hosadurga taluk has urged the government to cancel Basava Jayanti celebrations as well.
Responding to a question during an interaction with students at Tarikere on Thursday, he said, “It was wrong on part of the State government to cancel Tipu Jayanti alone. It should have cancelled Basava Jayanti too. It is not the government’s job to celebrate birth anniversaries. People will celebrate birth anniversaries of those whom they like,” he said.
The interaction was organised as part of the inauguration of a month-long programme titled Mathe Kalyana. The seer appealed to all students to treat people of all castes and religions equally and to follow the teachings of Basavanna, who stressed the importance of working.
A public meeting was also held to mark the occasion. Go. Ru. Channabasappa, writer, and Rahmath Tarikere of Hampi Kannada University delivered talks on the occasion.
On Hindutva
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and MLA for Chikkamagaluru C.T. Ravi sought time to address the gathering. As he began speaking about Hindutva, the seer intervened to stop his speech. The seer said the Hindutva the MLA was referring to was divisive in nature. “The Hindutva you preach is different from what we suggest. The idea should be inclusive. It should include every human being in the country. But these days, we are witnessing a Hindutva which divides people,” he said.
Sanehalli Mutt has organised seminars, interactions and marches across the State as part of Mathe Kalyana. The valedictory programme will be held at Basavakalyana in Bidar district on August 30.
