Cong hates saffron, alleges BJP after Sri Shivakumar Swamiji's portrait found lying in corridor outside Vidhana Soudha

The opposition BJP shared pictures of the portrait lying in a corridor outside the Vidhana Soudha and alleged that the Congress party “hates” saffron.

Published on: Jun 2, 2023, 11:19:14 IST

By Yamini C S

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The ruling Congress in Karnataka is being accused of disrespecting Lingayat seer Sri Shivakumar Swamiji after pictures surfaced of several portraits including his and ex-chief ministers Basavaraj Bommai and HD Kumaraswamy lying in a corridor outside the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru. The Congress is said to have removed these portraits after coming to power recently.

The Karnataka BJP also demanded that CM Siddaramaiah ask for forgiveness from the people of the state and hang up the portrait of the Lingayat seer with all respect due to him. (@BJP4Karnataka/Twitter)

The opposition BJP shared pictures of the portraits lying in a window sill and called the Congress “arrogant”, alleging that the party “hates” saffron and has an enmity towards it. The Karnataka unit of the BJP, in a tweet, also demanded that CM Siddaramaiah ask for forgiveness from the people of Karnataka and hang up the portrait of the Lingayat seer with all respect due to him.

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“The height of arrogance! @INCKarnataka government hates saffron and has enmity towards it! It is an unpardonable crime to desecrate the portrait of the walking God, the Kayakayogi, the Trividhadasohi Param Pujaniya Dr. Sri Sri Sri Shivakumar Mahaswamiji by removing it from the Vidhana Soudha room and making it roll in the corridor! We demand that Chief Minister of Karnataka @siddaramaiah ask for the forgiveness of the people of the state and reattach the portrait of Pujya Swamiji with all due respect,” the Karnataka BJP posted.

The Congress party is yet to respond to the accusations. This comes even as the central leadership of the party, including senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi schedule frequent visits to the Siddaganga mutt, which is a spiritual centre for the prominent Veerashaiva-Lingayat community in the southern state.

Who was Sri Shivakumara Swamiji?

Sri Shivakumara Swamiji, who passed away in 2019 after a long battle with a lung infection in Tumkur, was a revered seer of the Lingayat faith and was also called the ‘walking god’. The seer passed away at 111 years old after being on ventilator support for a few weeks.

The Karnataka government had declared a three-day state mourning period and one day holiday for all schools, colleges and government offices in the state. His 100th birthday celebrations were attended by the then President A P J Abdul Kalam in April 2007.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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