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.

"PM Modi 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. 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 constituency Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, Modi 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 Deputy Chief Minister's statement, Karnataka Home Minister 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 the Deputy Chief Minister.

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

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

The Prime Ministers visit may be "difficult" despite his personal desire to come, state BJP chief 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).