Two days ahead of making yet another visit to poll-bound Karnataka on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who inaugurated ‘Barisu Kannada Dindimava’, a two-day event commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Delhi Karnataka Sangha in the national capital on Saturday, used the platform to sing praises of Karnataka’s culture. In the same breath, he also talked about how BJP at the Centre had hand-held the State in development.
Glorifying Kannada language and Karnataka’s culture, traditions and history, the Prime Minister began his speech in Kannada with a line from Kuvempu’s poem, “Elladaru iru, yentadaru iru, endendigu nee Kannadavagiru” (Wherever you are, whatever you are, always remain Kannada).
Vachanakaras
“The identity, traditions and inspirations of India cannot be defined without the contributions of Karnataka. I salute Kannadigas for their efforts in building the nation,” the Prime Minister said. Referring to Veerashaiva-Lingayat vachanakaras as those who preserved faith during medieval times, the Prime Minister said: “When invaders were ravaging the country and destroying Shivalingas like Somnath, it was saints like Devara Dasimayya, Madara Chennaiah, Dohara Kakkaiah, and Basaveshwara who linked people with their faith. Similarly, warriors like Rani Abbakka, Onake Obavva, Rani Chennamma, Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna faced the foreign powers. “
Speaking about ‘Naada Geethe’ by Kuvempu, he said the civilisation of India was depicted in this song and the roles and importance of Karnataka were described. “When we understand the spirit of this song, we also get the crux of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat,” he said.
The Prime Minister remarked that India was guided by the ideals of the Mother of Democracy when it was presiding over a global organisation like G-20. He said that the vows and democratic sermons of Basveshwara through ‘Anubhava Mantapa’ were like a ray of light for India.
Land of culture and AI
“Karnataka is the land of traditions and technology. It has a historical culture as well as modern artificial intelligence. Today, the development of Karnataka is a top priority for the country, and for the government of Karnataka,” he said.
Shifting gears to the rhetoric of how Karnataka had benefited from BJP governments in State and at the Centre, he informed that between 2009 and 2014, ₹11,000 crore were given by the Centre to Karnataka, whereas, from 2019 to 2023 till now ₹30,000 crore have been given to Karnataka. He reeled out statistics to bolster the claim of how State had received generous grants from the BJP-ruled Centre.
