Bengaluru: A book on the life and struggles of former Chief Minister Kengal Hanumanthaiah will be released this year, said CM Basavaraj Bommai, adding that his statue will also be unveiled soon.
Speaking to reporters after offering floral tributes to the statue and the photo of late Kengal Hanumanthaiah on his 115th birth anniversary here on Friday, Bommai said Hanumanthaiah had served as the second chief minister and also as the Union Railway Minister. He took an active role in the Kannada Ekikarana movement.
The CM said an official book on the life of Kengal Hanumanthaiah will be prepared and released this year. Already, a statue of Hanumanthaiah is getting readied in Ramanagar and it will be unveiled soon.
The BBMP has a proposal for the installation of this statue at a prominent place on Bengaluru-Mysuru Road, and the work will start after getting formal approval. The memorial of Hanumanthaiah in Kengal will be developed as ‘Smriti Garden’ for which the necessary grants will be released, he explained.
Bommai said the former CM was at the forefront of uniting all the Kannada-speaking people and also for the establishment of the State of Karnataka. Starting from Praja Pratinidhi Sabha of Mysuru up to the State Assembly and also as a Lok Sabha member, Hanumanthaiah played an important role in the initial days of Karnataka politics.
He gave a vision document for the overall development of the state and also laid a strong foundation stone for the same. Hanumanthaiah was responsible for the beautiful Vidhana Soudha to come up in the state capital. This work was executed as a mission. At a time when much technology was not available, Hanumanthaiah built an imposing structure in Bengaluru for which he is remembered to this day, CM Bommai stated.
Kengal Hanumanthaiah was the second CM of the then Mysuru state from 1952 to 1956. He is a revered leader of the Vokkaliga community. Political experts say that he sacrificed his CM post for the unification of the state.
