Gokak award kicks up new controversy

BELGAUM: A literary award instituted by Maharashtra Sahitya Parishat (MSP) in the name of Jnanpith awardee V K Gokak has stirred a controversy with the pro-Maharashtra lobby in the Karnataka-Maharashtra border region.
The newly instituted award has been awarded to Ashok Yalgi, a Marathi journalist of Belgaum, and pro-Maharashtra leaders are demanding its cancellation as V K Gokak was responsible for the imposition of Kannada as a compulsory subject for school students of border areas.MSP has constituted the award in the name of VK Gokak and the award is given to a person who is involved in spreading the importence of literature to masses. The award carries a cash prize, a memento and a felicitation.