Bengaluru, January 23: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for missing the funeral of Lingayat seer Sri Shivakumara Swami. The 111-year-old pontiff of Siddaganga Mutt was laid to rest with full state honours on Tuesday, a day after he breathed his last.

"PMĀ ModiĀ attends celebrity weddings, meets movie stars but skips the funeral of our NadedaDuva devaru (walking god), who dedicated his life to help the poor & the marginalised. Repeated requests to confer Bharat Ratna on him have gone in vain. Truly well-deserved recipient of Kotler Award," Parameshwara tweeted.Ā Shivakumara Swamiji Laid to Rest With Full State Honours in Karnataka's Tumakaru; Thousands Attend Funeral of Siddaganga Mutt Seer.

While inaugurating the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in his parliamentary constituencyĀ VaranasiĀ in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday,Ā ModiĀ had said the country would always remember the seer's work for mankind.

Condoling the demise of Shivakumara Swami, Modi had said he was always showered with love and blessings by the seer during their interactions.

Union ministers D V Sadananda Gowda and Nirmala Sitharaman had paid their last respects to the seer.

Meanwhile, commenting on the DeputyĀ ChiefĀ Minister's statement,Ā Karnataka Home MinisterĀ M B Patil said the Prime Minister should have attended the funeral if he had no other engagements.

"It is not right on my part to react on that, you can ask this question to theĀ DeputyĀ ChiefĀ Minister.

Maybe, he (DCM)is right if theĀ Prime MinisterĀ did not have any other engagements, he should have been...becauseĀ everybody knew about servicesĀ of the great Maha swamiji...," he said.

Reacting to Parameshwara's comment,Ā Karnataka BJPĀ said on Twitter, "PM Modiji knows Indian traditions and has always valued religious icons unlike your opportunistĀ presidentĀ (Rahul Gandhi)".

The Prime Ministers visit may be "difficult" despite his personal desire to come, state BJPĀ chiefĀ B S Yeddyurappa had said on Monday, citing non-availability of security permission from Delhi and trouble that devotees may have had to face during the visit as the reasons for it.

(With ANI inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 23, 2019 10:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).