Shivakumara Swamiji headed the Sree Siddaganga Education Society which runs about 125 educational institutions in Karnataka, including engineering colleges and business schools. Many of the institutions offer free education and boarding facilities to poor students.
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Senior Congress leader and Member of Parliament from Gulbarga, Karnataka, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Saturday while referring to the Bharat Ratna being conferred upon Nanaji Deshmukh, Bhupen Hazarika, and Pranab Mukherjee, said his party was disappointed that the late Lingayat seer, Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddaganga Mutt at Tumakuru, was not given the country’s highest civilian award.
The NDA government on Friday announced Bharat Ratna for Bharatiya Jana Sangh ideologue Nanaji Deshmukh, eminent Assamese poet Bhupen Hazarika, and former President Pranab Mukherjee.
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“Bharat Ratna was conferred upon Pranab Mukherjee, I welcome this. But Shivakumara Swami ji worked a lot in the education sector and spent his life working for orphan children and sent them to schools. He should be awarded Bharat Ratna. We had expected this,” said Kharge.
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Karnataka’s 111-year-old revered Lingayat seer, Shivakumara Swamiji died on Monday, January 21.
Shivakumara Swamiji headed the Sree Siddaganga Education Society which runs about 125 educational institutions in Karnataka, including engineering colleges and business schools. Many of the institutions offer free education and boarding facilities to poor students.
Kharge added, “Government had seen his work. Even then the BJP government didn’t give him the award. This is sad. A singer (Bhupen Hazarika) and a man who propagates their RSS ideology (Nanaji Deshmukh) have also been awarded. If you compare all of them, then Shivakumara Swami ji should have been given the award.”
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