Summary:
New Delhi, Jul 6 (PTI) The government on Wednesday nominated four noted personalities, including celebrated athlete P T Usha and music maestro Ilaiyaraaja, from as many southern states to the Rajya Sabha, in what is being seen as the ruling BJP"s big outreach to recognise prominent figures from south India.
Veerendra Heggade, the head of the famous Dharmasthala temple in Karnataka and a philanthropist, and screenwriter K V Vijayendra Prasad, who is from Andhra Pradesh and is known for blockbusters like "RRR", the "Baahubali" series and "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", were the two other choices of the government for the Upper House of Parliament.
Usha is from Kerala and Ilaiyaraaja, a Dalit, is from Tamil Nadu.
The decision came days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), at its national executive meeting in Hyderabad, identified south India as the territory for its next phase of growth.
The saffron party has been traditionally weak in southern India, barring Karnataka.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated all four and cited their contributions in their respective fields.
"The remarkable PT Usha Ji is an inspiration for every Indian.
Her accomplishments in sports are widely known but equally commendable is her work to mentor budding athletes over the last several years.
Congratulations to her on being nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
"The creative genius of Ilaiyaraaja Ji has enthralled people across generations.
His works beautifully reflect many emotions.
What is equally inspiring is his life journey -- he rose from a humble background and achieved so much.