Vatal Nagaraj is an Indian politician and social activist from Karnataka. He served as a member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Chamarajnagar constituency for three terms. He founded the Kannada Charu Valli Vattal Paksha (KCVP) political party in Karnataka in 2018. Wattar is known for his comedic protests against the Karnataka government using cows, donkeys, household items and even toilets.
Vattar Nagaraj on donkey
Wiki/Biography
Vatal Nagaraj was born on Sunday, 29 May 1949 in Vatalu, Mysore, Karnataka (age 74; as of 2023). His zodiac sign is Gemini. His hometown is Bangalore, Karnataka. He studied till class 10th in Government Higher Secondary School, Chamrajpet, Bangalore.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 9″
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
Vattar’s father’s name was Madapa. His father is gone.
wife and children
Vatal was married to Jnanambika, who died in 2020. She died at the age of 65 on August 5, 2020, in a private hospital in Bengaluru. In an interview, his daughter shared how her parents fell in love and said:
My father visited T Narasimhapura village in the late sixties. He went to his friend’s sister’s house for lunch with his friend. There he saw a seventeen-year-old girl and fell in love with her at first sight. She was Gnambik, the daughter of his friend’s sister. She is delivering food. My mother’s parents refused their marriage saying he had no job, no house, no property, only his Kannada career. My grandma also said he was not good-looking. My grandfather hated politicians. Worst of all, my dad kept going to jail. My mother was the oldest child and they didn’t want her to suffer with an activist. My mother didn’t budge and they had to. “
Vattar Nagaraj and his wife
He has a son and a daughter, Anupama.
address
Vatal lives in House No.329, 2nd Block, 2nd Stage, RMV Extension, Bangalore-560094.
sign
Signature of Vattar Nagaraj
Profession
political
In 1989, he contested the Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections and became the MLA from the Chamarajanagar assembly constituency. In 1994, he again defeated INC leader S. Puttaswamy in the assembly elections from the same constituency by a margin of 5,982 votes. In 2004, he won a third term in the Chamarajanagar assembly constituency. In 2009, he contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections from Bangalore South constituency but lost to MP Ananth Kumar. In 2018, Vatal became the president of Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha.
Protest against pro-Kannada cause
Vattal first came to attention in 1960 when he took part in a protest against the dubbing of Telugu films into Kannada. He became a leader of the movement because of his opposition to this practice. On September 7, 1962, he and his followers were arrested by the police after setting fire to a screening of a Hindi film at Alankar Talkies in Bangalore. In 1964, he led a protest demanding the removal of a 150-year-old British Raj-era monument column built to commemorate soldiers who died during the 1791 siege of Bangalore. He protested for two months and in October 1964, the Bangalore City Corporation demolished the monument and built a statue of Kempe Gowda in its place. In 1996, he participated in solving the problems of the people of Karnataka and requested employment opportunities from the central government by forming an organization called Kannada Chaluvaligaru. The organization also protects Kannadigas, Kannada language and culture.
Old photo of Vatal Nagaraj held by police during protests
At the 1996 Miss World beauty pageant, Watal organized protests, claiming that it was unfair to judge women by beauty standards, as some women may participate in such pageants for financial reasons. He even arranged an event called a “Rakshasa Banshee Show” as part of the demonstrations.
Vatal Nagaraj holds Rakshasa (female demon) performance
In the 1980s, he led numerous protests in support of the Gokak movement, which aimed to establish Kannada as the country’s main language. His style of organizing protests had a significant impact on many young people. In 2009, Nagaraj supported young people who were threatened by pro-Hindu groups demanding a ban on Valentine’s Day. In July 2016, he launched a protest against Rajinikanth’s Tamil film Kabali because it was not a non-Kannada film. In 2018, Wattal warned that there would be protests if Rajinikanth came to Karnataka on the invitation of Chief Minister Kumaraswamy. He also alleged that Rajinikanth was an anti-Kannada and pro-Tamil agent. On September 9, 2016, he held a gala event in Karnataka after the Supreme Court announced the release of 15,000 cusecs of water from the Cauvery river to Tamil Nadu. In 2017, he staged a protest outside the BMRCL office because metro signs and direction boards were in Hindi. In an interview, he spoke about this and said:
Hindi is slowly filtering into Karnataka but no one agrees. The state government supported this but did not raise its voice, especially when authorities like Governor Vajubhai Vala delivered speeches in Hindi in the Assembly. There is no hard and fast rule anywhere that Hindi along with regional languages and English must be used. The Center can do whatever it wants elsewhere, but in Karnataka, where our mother tongue is Kannada, it must be used for public services like metro rail. “
In 2018, Wattal protested against the Mahadey River water-sharing conflict between Karnataka and Goa, for which he and several Kannada organizations held a protest against the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Freedom Park. ·Modi’s activities. The demonstration was held on the same day as Narendra Modi’s visit to the city. The protesters, who were dressed in black and wearing black belts, were initially detained by police but were eventually released. In 2019, he was arrested for wearing a police uniform while protesting against the implementation of the Raghavendra Oladekar Commission report on police reforms, which demanded a 30 to 35 per cent pay increase for police personnel.
Vatal Nagaraj arrested for dressing up as policeman
In 2019, he organized a “sleep-in protest” outside Mysuru Palace after the death of a Dasara elephant at Madigodu Elephant Camp in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve. Wattal suspected there was something fishy about the elephant’s death.
Vatal Nagaraj during a sleep-in protest
In 2020, he urged the government to revoke the decision to set up the Maratha Development Authority in rupees. 50 crore for Marathi individuals. On December 5, 2020, he called for statewide unity to protest the cause. On September 14, 2023, he led a protest against the Tamil Nadu government at Attipally on the Karnataka border, leading to his arrest along with 50 other participants. They were detained for raising slogans against the state government over the Cauvery water issue.
Vatal Nagaraj arrested at Karnataka border
On September 27, 2023, he scheduled the Karnataka Bandh for September 29, 2023. The decision to bandh was taken after a meeting between farmer leader Kuruburu Shanthakumar, who advocated Bengaluru Bandh, and Vatal Nagaraj, who called for Karnataka Bandh on the same day. After the meeting, in which separate bands were selected, some organizations withdrew their support for both initiatives.
car collection
He has a Scorpio.
assets/property
movable property
- Bank Deposit: Rs. 1,00,000
- Motor Vehicles: Rs. 4,00,000
real estate
- Agricultural land: Rs. 5,00,000
- Non-agricultural land: Rs. 2,30,00,000
- Residential Building: Rs. 1,00,00,000
Note: The movable and immovable property estimates given are based on 2018. Excludes assets owned by his wife and dependents (minors).
net worth
His net worth is Rs. 3 Crore for the financial year 2018-2019. It does not include the net worth of his wife and dependents (minors).
Facts/Trivia
- In 1964, he became a member of Bangalore Municipal Council. Nijalingappa, then chief minister of Karnataka, invited him to join the Congress party. He did not join the party because he preferred radicalism to politics. In an interview, he spoke about this and said:
I have my own party. My devoted Kannada Charuvalliwa Talpaksha. Other parties will try to use that image to advance their own interests. My position may not be high, but my voice resonates across Karnataka. “
- In 2008, actor Sathyaraj made comments on the Cauvery issue, which triggered strong dissatisfaction from Wattal. In 2018, when Sataraji’s film Baahubali was released, Wattal said he would not allow the film to be released unless he publicly apologized for his remarks in 2008.
- In 2009, as a KCVP member, Wattar was allotted a coconut as the party symbol by the Election Commission during the Lok Sabha elections. Lacking party funds, he sells coconuts in Bangalore for rupees. 5 rupees. 10 Raise funds from the public. This benefited him in two ways, one was crowdfunding and promoting his logo and two he collected Rs. 35,000 in two days. The Electoral Commission objected to his actions, saying he breached the Code of Conduct by selling party symbols. In response, he stopped selling coconuts and adopted a new approach. He started splitting the coconut into two, offering one half as prasad and seeking donations for the other half.
- His unique style of protest is well known to the public. In 2009, to protest against the lack of public bathrooms, he tried to urinate in front of Raj Bhavan but was stopped by the police. He also rode a bullock cart to Parliament to protest against rising fuel prices and demonstrated in a burqa against a rape case.
Vatal Nagaraj in burqa
- In 2010, he contested the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP, the city’s municipal body) elections and in his manifesto promised to form a donkey development committee and provide free haircuts, free buttermilk and juice to people. After his announcement, one newspaper headlined an article about him as “Watal’s Vow: Vote Me, Save Me.”
- In 2015, he organized a unique award ceremony for animals called the Rajyosava Awards, named after Karnataka’s prestigious civilian honor. The ceremony honors various domestic animals such as donkeys, dogs, buffaloes, cows and oxen. Wattal presented shawls and garlands to the two donkeys.
Vatal Nagaraj presents award to donkey
- In 2016, he reportedly organized 200-250 protests annually and announced the establishment of 2,000 state-wide bandhads in Karnataka.
- In 2018, Wattal held a wedding in Bangalore for two sheep named Jacob and Caroline. In an interview, he expressed support for Valentine’s Day and urged the central government to declare Valentine’s Day a holiday. Further, he also appealed to the state government to provide Rs. 50,000 Rs. 1 Lakh to couples planning to get married. At a similar event in 2020, he arranged marriages for two horses named Raja and Rani.
Vatal Nagaraj during Sheep Wedding
- He had a deep affection for Kannada and Karnataka and dedicated more than two decades of his life to the country. It is reported that he organized 10,000 protests for the welfare of Karnataka and Kannada.
- He leads Kannada Para Okkoota, a coalition of pro-Kannada organizations.
- His dressing style is very different. He always wears sunglasses and a bucket hat in front of the camera. According to media reports, his wife was the only person to see him without his hat.
Vatal Nagaraj (right) without black goggles and hat in the 1970s
- Some politicians criticized his approach to the protest, claiming it was an attempt to attract public attention because the protests were short-lived. According to them, the demonstrations will continue until new issues arise. These critics, while acknowledging the validity of his request, argued that the bands he called for were inappropriate because they disrupted various events in the state.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education