KSP chief unhappy about Dharwad’s selection for Kannada meet: Activists

Hubballi: Various Kannada outfits have alleged that Kannada Sahitya Parishat president Manu Baligar is unhappy about Dharwad being chosen to host the 84th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana.
Karnataka Sangram Sene state president Sanjeev Dhumaknal said on Friday, “We were opposed to the Sammelana committee choosing a Kannada activist facing several cases for felicitation during the literary meet. When we called up the KSP chief to know the reasons for selecting a person with a criminal background, Baligar sought details about that person. He also asked to us send documents to prove our allegations.”

“When I repeatedly questioned him for selecting such a person, Baligar said he committed a mistake by choosing Dharwad to hold the Sammelana and hanged up after saying, if you people want to spoil the Sammelana, u can do it as you are the 11th person to argue about the same issue,” said Dhumaknal, who also played the audio clip of the telephone conversation between him and Baligar.

Members of some Kannada outfits said the organisers of the Sammelana had ignored Kannada organisations and activists of the region.

Kannada Rakshana Vedike (Praveen Shetty faction) president Manjunath Lootimath said leaders of various Kannada organisations have been neglected by Kannada Sahitya Parishat. The central committee of the Sammelana have failed to recognize the contribution of activists who protested for the Mahadayi project and went to jail, he said.

Shivaji Dembre, of Karunadu Sene and Paapu Dhare of Kannada Rakshana Vedike urged the organisers to reconsider the list people to be felicitated and also take various Kannada organisations into confidence.