Install Dr Rajkumar’s statue in parliament, give him ‘Bharat Ratna’: Vatal Nagaraj

Bengaluru, Dec 27: In a bizarre demand, Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj has urged the union government to install the statue of Sandalwood actor late Dr Rajkumar in the premises of parliament and bestow upon him the 'Bharat Ratna' award posthumously.

Addressing a press conference here today, the Kannada chaluvali paksha chief said that several years after his demise, Dr Rajkumar continues to be a role model for crores with his simplicity and politeness.

"He has been felicitated with many awards for his service in the film field. He has also been felicitated with Dada Saheb Phalke award, which is the biggest honour for a film fraternity. The only honour that is left over in the country and the much desirable award for Rajkumar is 'Bharat Ratna'. So I request President, Prime Minister and our state leaders to take this initiation," he said.

Vatal was accompanied with Sa Ra Govindu, president of Dr Rajkumar fans association and former Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce(KFCC) president and other Kannada activists.

"I was constantly fighting against the injustice that was happening to Kannada and Dr Rajkumar films in front of other language films. In this way I was closely associated with Dr Rajkumar more than 50 years," he added.