The installation of a statue of the revolutionary freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna at Peeranwadi junction in Belagavi in the wee hours of August 28 led to clashes between pro-Kannada and Marathi-speaking groups in the border district. Tension prevailed across Belagavi following the police lathicharge to disperse the mob. However, the conflict ended with both parties calling truce during a peace meeting held by the senior police officers and district officials.
Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa appealed to the people to maintain peace and rushed ADGP (Law and Order) Amar Kumar Pandey to the district to hold the peace meet. The groups finally agreed to have the Rayanna statue installed at the junction, which would now be officially named as "Shivaji Maharaj circle".
It may be recalled that the Kannada activists were upset over the district administration thwarting their earlier attempt (on August 15) to install the Sangolli Rayanna statue. The district in-charge minister Ramesh Jarkiholi had pacified them saying the statue would be installed soon as per the Supreme Court guidelines. However, the activists grew restless and quietly installed the statue on Friday, triggering tension between the two groups. The Marathi-speaking group led by Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) and the Shiv Sena tried to install the statue of Marathi ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji at the junction, but were stopped by the police.
According to the locals, the Rayanna statue was sanctioned in November 2018 by the Kumaraswamy government, but it was delayed owing to the lack of political will. The Peeranwadi junction was locally known as Shivaji circle as a statue of the erstwhile Maratha ruler was installed on a private plot nearby. The Marathi-speaking group feared Shivaji losing prominence and suggested that Rayanna statue be installed at an alternative site.
The Kannada activists argued that the statue of revolutionary freedom fighter and Kuruba icon Sangolli Rayanna (1798-1831), the army chief of the erstwhile Kittur kingdom ruled by Rani Chennamma who fought against the British, deserves to be installed in his home district.
Rayanna, who was hanged to death by the British near Nandagad in Belagavi district in 1831, is revered as a revolutionary fighter, much like the Maratha ruler Chhattrapati Shivaji is equally respected for his valour and patriotism. However, the constant friction between the supporters of the two historical icons is due to the local politics. This time too, as locals allege, the clashes were an effort to polarise the voters ahead of the upcoming gram panchayat and corporation elections.
In fact, the Congress and the BJP have tried to appropriate historical icons to consolidate the community vote base. Former chief minister and Kuruba strongman Siddaramaiah's Ahinda-centric politics was countered by BJP's Sangolli Rayanna brigade by Kuruba leader K. S. Eshwarappa.
Meanwhile, the Kannada groups allege that both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress are reluctant to take a stand on the issue as they don't want to upset the sizeable Marathi votebank. Not surprisingly, even as tempers rose and the police booked cases against both groups, Home minister Basavaraj Bommai played down the clashes saying, "Both Shivaji and Rayanna are freedom fighters. We will focus on resolving the issue in an amicable manner."
Earlier, leader of opposition and Kuruba leader Siddaramaiah blamed the BJP government for "neglecting" the issue for long, saying: "The government is responsible for the controversy. There can be no compromise in the matters related to Karnataka's land, water and language. I urge the supporters of Rayanna to cooperate in the peaceful resolution of the conflict."
The elected representatives from both the national parties treaded with caution and appealed for peace, consciously avoiding taking sides. Former chief minister and JD(S) leader H. D. Kumaraswamy slammed the people protesting against the statue of Rayanna and said, "The Marathi-speaking groups creating a ruckus over installing Rayanna statue is unpardonable. We don't need anybody's permission to erect a statue of our icons."
In a series of tweets, Kumaraswamy, as leader of a regional party, warned the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti and Shiv Sena saying, "If anyone insults Rayanna, the brave son of this land, it is like testing the patience of Kannadigas. This will not be tolerated at any cost."
Kumaraswamy also reminded people that it was the JD(S)-BJP coalition government led by him in 2006, that convened the Legislature session for the first time in Belagavi. "We built the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi to send a strong message that the border district was an integral part of Karnataka as some leople were trying to merge it with Maharashtra," he recalled.