Bengaluru: Politics of appeasement seems to be the order of the day as the state inches towards next year's elections to the Assembly.
For, on the eve of Basava Jayanti celebrations, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Wednesday the state government's decision to put on view the portrait of twelfth century social reformer Basaveshwara in government offices, a move intended to please Lingayats. Soon after making the announcement while addressing a victory rally in Gundlupet, Mr Siddaramaiah called his office and asked the officer concerned to issue an order making display of portrait of Basaveshwara mandatory in all government offices.
According to the rules, the portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi must adorn offices of the Governor and ministers. With today's decision, portraits of Basaveshwara too would be displayed. Besides an effort to woo Lingayats, today's decision was also a thanks-giving gesture for voters of this numerically significant community post the victory of ruling party candidates in Nanjangud and Gundlupet.
The decision comes close on the heels of one taken to celebrate the birth anniversary of Kempe Gowda as "naada habba" . The move, however, was put on hold following a suggestion by the seer of Adichunchungiri math that the government make a thorough verification of all records before at the date to celebrate the birth anniversary of the chieftain who founded Bengaluru. The upshot: the state government set up a committee of experts to peruse all records and to identify the precise date of birth of Kempe Gowda.
The government's proclivity towards such announcements dates back to the year when the Congress was voted to power with an announcement on state-wide celebrations of birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan. Leaders of the Opposition BJP protested and attempted to stop the event. Clashes were witnessed in Kodagu and Mysuru with BJP workers staging protests.
