Mysore/Mysuru, April 15 -- MLC Dinesh Gooligowda and MLA Sharath Bachegowda have urged the State Government to recommend the conferment of 'Bharat Ratna' posthumously on Dr. Sri Balagangadharanatha Swamiji of Adichunchanagiri Mutt.

In separate letters to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, the legislators said the seer, who was the 71st pontiff of the Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Mutt, was not only a spiritual leader but also played a key role in shaping modern Karnataka.

They noted that during his 33-year tenure as pontiff, the Swamiji achieved milestones that would otherwise have taken centuries, and said devotees and Kannadigas alike aspire to see him honoured with the country's highest civilian a...