Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Feb 8: Former union minister, B Janardan Poojary, blamed state Chief Minister (CM), B S Yeddyurappa, for orchestrating a protest against the state Governor’s decision to decline Bangalore University’s recommendation to confer doctorate on Kannada litterateur, historian and researcher, Dr M Chidananda Murthy. The protest was staged by Kannada writers in front of Raj Bhavan at Bangalore on Monday.
“Murthy already holds a doctorate. How many doctorates a person needs? Does the knowledge of a person get recognition only when a doctorate is conferred on him? Is Murthy the only writer and historian from Karnataka? Is there a rule that the Governor should accept every recommendation for a doctorate? Why is Yeddyurappa pained at the rejection,” a fiery Poojary questioned.
Poojary said the Governor has the paramount power to scrutinize recommendations and use his discretion in accepting or rejecting them. As the Governor’s decision is final and binding, the CM does not need to react to such decisions, he felt.
He pointed out that the president of Kannada Sahitya Sammelan, G Venkatasubbaiah, had remarked during his presidential address that the state happens to be one of the most corrupt states in the country, but retracted his remark within a day. Alleging that the CM had also interfered in this issue, he alleged that some BJP corporators were among those who took part in the above protest.
Congress leaders, Mohammed Badruddin, Arun Coelho, and Nagendra Kumar, were present at the press conference.