Another Kuvempu-related goof up lands Congress govt in soup

Bengaluru: The Congress government in Karnataka was left embarrassed with another faux pas that emerged Wednesday in the form of a notification that left out private schools from having to sing the state anthem penned by poet laureate Kuvempu.

The Opposition BJP put the government on the mat by raising the issue in the Assembly, prompting Kannada & Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadi and Law Minister HK Patil to admit that there was a mistake.

On February 1, the Department of Kannada & Culture issued a notification amending the 2004 order declaring Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujaate as the state anthem. The amendment specified that the anthem must be sung at “all schools” and government departments, including state-owned undertakings.

But on February 16, another amended notification was issued changing “all schools” to “government schools, aided schools...”

Raking this up, Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka said the government has left out “unaided schools” (private schools) from the mandate to sing the state anthem. “Why does the government have this attitude towards Kuvempu? What madness is this? Don’t private schools come under the purview of the education department? The government must tender an apology,” he said.

BJP state president BY Vijayendra, former minister Araga Jnanendra and others slammed the Congress government.

Kannada & Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi said an error occurred.

“The notification dated February 1 included all schools. Meanwhile, there’s a case before the High Court filed by one Kikkeri Krishnamurthy that the state anthem must be rendered in the tune composed by C Ashwath and not Mysore Ananthaswamy. The lawyer questioned the meaning of ‘all schools’. While specifying this, the words ‘private schools’ got left out,” Tangadagi explained.

“The note sheet mentioned all schools, but it was left out in the notification. It was a printing mistake,” the minister added.

Tangadagi produced in the Assembly a fresh notification issued on Wednesday that specifically mentions that the state anthem must be sung in all schools - government, aided, unaided and private.

Patil, the law minister, said the officers responsible for the “mischief” will get strict action.

This came just days after the Congress government faced flak over a senior IAS officer’s decision to modify a slogan attributed to Kuvempu and using it in state-run residential schools, which the opposition party dubbed as an "insult" to the poet laureate.

“I think this government faces a lot of anger from officials,” senior BJP lawmaker S Suresh Kumar quipped.