Click to play videoBangalore: It took 18 years of wait for the statue of Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar to be unveiled in Bangalore. The statue's unveiling was mired in controversy for two decades after it was installed.
The Karnataka government finally went ahead and unveiled it on Sunday but not without having to stand up to some more stiff resistance from opponents.
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have witnessed bitter cold war over water sharing issues with celebrities stepping in to take sides and bring peace.
But the chief minister of Karnataka, B S Yeddyurappa was ready to sort out issues of differences with the pro-Kannada activists.
"I've cleared everything. The question of bandh does not arise. People are going to support in entire state. We will continue with our programme of unveiling the statue of Thiruvalluvar in Bangalore and Sarvajna in Chennai," Yeddyurappa said.
In return Chennai will unveil the statue of Kannada poet Sarvajna. The two states have shared a troubled and violent past over Cauvery's waters. Everytime a dispute erupts, theaters playing Tamil films are the target of Kannada protesters in Bangalore.
Buses from Karnataka are then targeted in Tamil Nadu. The going promises to be just as tough this time around.
Over 250 Kannada activists have been taken into preventive custody and all activists who've tried to raise a dissenting voice over Friday and Saturday have been arrested at the first sign of a protest.
But the anxiety continues. If some other inter-state dispute raises its head in the coming years, such as the Cauvery water-sharing or Hogenakkal or films of Tamil actor Rajnikanth, the statues of these philosophers could well become by target of attacks and protests.
President of the Bangalore Tamil Sangam, M Meenakshi Sundaram said, "It'll be a never-ending problem. If at one place, statue of saints like him are disturbed by some elements, it will have a continuing effect all over India. It will spread all over. It's the government's duty to protect it."
The government is not taking peace for granted too. That explains the heavy police presence around the famed Tamil poet's statue. But this police presence also raises the point: is it all worth it?
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)
More on IBNLive Right Now
TOP NEWS
MOST SHARED
PHOTOGALLERY
