Bangalore: Vatal Nagaraj, a former MLA under R. Gundu Rao rule, is an uncommon politician in Karnataka. He fights for Kannada and teases leaders who go wrong socially or politically. He brings animals like assets to his demonstration, and wears a police uniform to joke at high-handedness.

But on Friday, he had people in splits, by rolling over a Banana leaf in city., His followes obviously imitated him, when Vatal himself was rolling on used Banana leaves, like a comedian politician, who condemned the chasing out and kicking of Dalit leader K.S.Shivaramu, in Kukke Subrahmanyam! (his initial match the place).

After rolling on some leaves, Vatal addressed a gathering in chaste Kannada to say that the Madesnana ritual was out of date, like Bettale-seva (naked worship) and was a silly superstition that had no basis on health and such practices should be disallowed by an elected government (Dr. V.S. Acharya to note) on modern days, as disrespectful to those who go for it.

Such comic rituals made a whole society bend its head down in shame, he remarked.

The ritual has been opposed all over state, by demonstrations and protest rallies on Friday (Dec 2).