Davanagere: As previously announced by the government, preparations are underway to exert further pressure on the Chief Minister for the World Kannada Conference to be held in Davanagere, Central Karnataka, later this year. A delegation led by the district in-charge minister is strategizing to travel to Bengaluru for a meeting with the Chief Minister by the end of this month.

According to B. Vamadevaappa, the district president of the KASAPA , “When the Chief Minister visited Davanagere, we had submitted a request with the in-charge minister. However, he was quite rushed that day. Therefore, it has been decided by KASAPA (Kannada Sahitya Parishad) to send a delegation to Bengaluru to have a meeting with the Chief Minister. We will be meeting with the district in-charge minister, S.S. Mallikarjun, to discuss this. Under his leadership, we plan to head to Bengaluru and conduct discussions to formally present our demands.”

Vamadevaappa further stated, “All KASAPA officials, Kannada activists, journalists, and various organizations’ leaders will first meet with the district in-charge minister to prepare for the trip to Bengaluru. We aim to have a meeting with the Chief Minister by the end of this month, urging the minister to finalize a date for conducting the conference.”

He also recalled, “When the conference was announced in 2017, S.S. Mallikarjun, who was the district in-charge minister then, had made all the necessary arrangements and allocated `4 crore. However, just when the date was about to be set, elections were announced, and everything came to a halt,” mentioned Dr. Manjunath Kurki, a past president of KASAPA.

Dr. Kurki expressed optimism that if like-minded individuals engage in discussions with the minister, the conference can indeed take place, and a date can be fixed. “I am also ready to speak with the minister. If all Kannada enthusiasts and organization leaders come together, we can make this happen,” he added. Overall, the Kannada community in Davanagere is eagerly looking forward to hosting the Third World Kannada Conference. The pressure on the government to follow through on its previous commitment to hold the event is steadily increasing.

Additionally, it has been reported that on January 30, the Chief Minister’s political secretary, B.R. Patil, is scheduled to visit Davanagere. The district KASAPA plans to submit a request to him as well, urging him to ensure that the budget allocates funds for conducting the World Kannada Conference in Davanagere. Preparations for this appeal are currently being organized.