– Mohammed Atherulla Shariff
Bengaluru, Jan. 20: Noted Kannada writer Devanur Mahadeva lamented the issue of consecration of Sri Ram Temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh taking centre stage in Indian politics.
He was speaking at the national level conference on ‘Karnataka after 90s’ organized jointly by Department of Kannada and Culture and others at Abdul Nazeer Sab Institute of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj in Mysore.
Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademi awardee, known among literary circles to be a rebel, Mahadeva had rejected the Nrupatunga Award in 2010. He also expressed his dissatisfaction over the raging debate on invitations for the inauguration of an incomplete Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. He is also the founder of Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha and Kannada Dalita Bandaya, a literary movement.
Devanur’s book ‘RSS, The Long and Short of It’ gained popularity and critical acclaim both for its content and its innovative open publishing model. The writer appealed to voters to elect persons with a clean image to parliament, the highest democratic decision-making body of the country, in the upcoming 2024 parliamentary polls.
People must stop electing politicians with criminal background to protect democracy in the country as there are reports that a good proportion of parliamentarians elected to the Indian Parliament are reportedly facing criminal cases, he said.
These parliamentary polls provide an opportunity for all voters to judge their leaders who are supposed to look after their welfare, health, education and employment, he said.
Women writer Sabiha B also expressed her concern over women nowadays leaning towards fascist, communal and right-wing ideologies.
Speaking on the occasion, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene state unit president B Nagendra expressed his displeasure over a Heritage City like Mysuru which was once a centre for Dalit and farmers movements in the country, now becoming a place for communal and right-wing activities.
