Amit Shah meets historian Chidananda Murthy in Bengaluru

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah, who is on two days visit to Karnataka, met noted Kannada writer and historian M. Chidananda Murthy on Wednesday at his residence in Bengaluru. Shah chose to meet Chidananda Murthy as part of his consultations meeting to finalise manifesto ahead of Karnataka Assembly elections.

Former Cm BS Yeddyurappa accompanied the party chief to Chidananda Murthy's home. Chidananda Murthy is a well-known scholar in Karnataka specialising in the history of Kannada language and ancient Karnataka, he is also known for his campaign to conserve the monuments Hampi and to secure classical language status to the Kannada Language. Murthy has also articulated that uniform civil code and an anti-conversion law must be enacted by the Government in India

It may be recalled that 81-year-old Chidananda Murthy was attacked by a group inside banquet hall at the Vidhana Soudha (Karnataka assembly), in Central Bengaluru for objecting to government's celebrations over the birth anniversary of a mythological person in March 2015. The scuffle took place before CM Siddaramaiah, who was the chief guest and timely intervention by the jurisdictional police averted the possible ruckus.

Trouble begun soon after historian M Chidananda Murthy and others objected government's decision to celebrate the birth anniversary of Devara Dasimaiah, a staunch devotee of lord Shiva, saying the celebrations should be made in the name of Jedara Dasimaiaha, who was a great devotee as well as Vachanakara.