Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj took serious exception to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot inviting Chief Minister-designate D.K. Shivakumar for the oath ceremony through a letter written in English.

Speaking to reporters after staging a demonstration against the hike in fuel prices in Mysuru on Sunday, Mr. Nagaraj regretted the lack of importance given to Kannada in the State and said such a letter would have been returned to the Governor’s office if it had not been written in Tamil in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

Mr. Nagaraj also hit out at the Congress high command for treating outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah “disrespectfully”.

Pointing out that Mr. Siddaramaiah had all the qualities required to be the Chief Minister, Mr. Nagaraj said the Congress high command should have allowed him to continue for the remaining two years of the present term. 

He said the Congress party’s Central leadership invited him to the national capital and asked him to resign immediately. “They virtually necked him out of the post. What was his crime?” he asked.

However, he said Mr. Siddaramaiah had conducted himself very gracefully by tendering his resignation.

Mr. Nagaraj described the Congress leadership’s treatment of Mr. Siddaramaiah as an “insult” to the people of the State.

On the occasion, Mr. Nagaraj also recalled that he met Mr. Siddaramaiah near Vidhana Soudha a day before he submitted his resignation and asked him not to do so.