A giant leap to stop the criminalisation of politics

On the eve of the Kannada new year, with the Hogenakal row simmering, Muthappa Rai took a small step towards legitimacy in the company of Prof D. Javare Gowda, the former vice-chancellor of the University of Mysore, who has made securing Kannada the “classical language status” his life’s mission.

On the eve of the Tamil new year, with assembly elections around the corner, the reformed underworld “don” who is the honorary president of Jaya Karnataka took the next logical step, in the company of Dr M.G.R. Urs, founder of the chutuku sahitya parishat, as this Star of Mysore headline captures for posterity.

Rai advised the political parties not to field rowdies, corrupt persons and anti-social elements in the elections….

Rai, who was in the City, to discuss organisational matters with Dejagow and like-minded persons, said he would form two categories in his organisation.

The first would be Mass Category and the second would be Class Category.

“The Mass Category members would participate in mass movements for social cause. The Class Category, comprising intellectuals, writers and artists would work as Think Tank, he added.”

Photograph: courtesy Star of Mysore

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