Math row resolved, as junior pontiff relents

A committee consisting of five swamijis will look into the validity of Rudramuni Devaru’s claim that he is the next in line to ascend the math seat, and give a verdict by December 31. Two names for each of the swamijis will be suggested by Gangadhara Swamiji and Rudramuni Devaru and one by Chief Minister J H Patel.

Co-operation Minister S S Patil, Public Works Minister C M Udashi, Kannada and Culture Minister Leeladevi R Prasad and Panchayat Minister M P Prakash — along with MLCs Basavaraj Horatti, A M Hindusgeri andBasavaraj Bommai– arrived in Hubli on Saturday morning. MLAs Ashok Katwe and Jagadeesh Shettar too were called in for consultation.

There was a five-hour discussion with the two swamijis and finally the two were asked to talk to each other directly, in the presence of M P Prakash and the Moorsavirmath Hitarakshana Samithi president G M Chikmath. The agreement was chalked out after these consultations.

Gangadhara Swamiji said that he was happy with the agreement and that Rudramuni Devaru was not the junior pontiff any more. He said that he would abide by whatever decision the committee gave.

He said that he had fallen in line with the agreement, keeping in view the situation in the city. The people who supported him had crossed all party barriers to support him voluntarily, he added.

Rudramuni Devaru, on the other hand, reiterated that he was the junior pontiff of the Math and was confident that the committee would confirm this. He too, was happy with the agreement.

Asked about his earlierinsistence that he would not to step out of the Math premises, Devaru said that the guest house too, was a property of the Math. He would shift to the guest house “when it is ready”.