Centenary Celebration of the Historic Belagavi Session: Senior Congress Leaders in Karnataka to Review Event Arrangements

Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 17 (NationPress) Lok Sabha MP and Congress General Secretary, K.C. Venugopal, along with AICC General Secretary and Karnataka Incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala, arrived in Karnataka’s Belagavi on Tuesday to supervise the concluding arrangements and explore significant historical sites in preparation for the centennial celebration of the Belagavi convention.

In 1924, Mahatma Gandhi took up the role of AICC President, marking a pivotal moment in the struggle for Independence during the Belagavi Session.

While addressing the press in Belagavi, Venugopal remarked, “On December 26 and 27, we will commemorate the 100-year anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s presidency. The Belagavi conference is a landmark event in our Indian political history. An extended working committee meeting is scheduled for the afternoon of December 26, followed by a grand rally. We will finalize the program details after visiting the sites.”

Additionally, Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, addressed the media near the Belagavi Circuit House and Peernawadi Gandhi Bhavan.

“Mahatma Gandhi’s election as President of the Congress during the Belagavi Session is a significant historical milestone for Karnataka,” he stated.

“When Gandhi ji became the Congress President, only Gangadhar Deshpande and Jawaharlal Nehru served as Principal Secretaries. At that time, Deshpande invited Gandhi to host the AICC session in Belagavi,” Shivakumar added.

“A well was constructed to provide drinking water for the attendees of that session. After 100 years, Karnataka's own Mallikarjun Kharge is the AICC President. It was Gandhi then, and now it is Kharge holding this esteemed office,” Shivakumar emphasized.

In the meantime, numerous Congress leaders, including the late Nijalingappa, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and former AICC leader Sonia Gandhi, as well as the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, have all held the position of Congress president.

“Initially, there was a proposal to host this year’s session at the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat. Subsequently, I suggested Belagavi to the AICC, and they consented,” Shivakumar noted.

“As part of the ‘Gandhi Bharat’ initiative on October 2, we marched from Gandhi Bhavan in Bengaluru to the Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha representing the state government. Later, on behalf of the party, we marched from Gandhi Circle to Bharat Jodo Bhavan in Bengaluru.

“Continuing this momentum, the Congress Working Committee meeting will convene in Belagavi on December 26,” Shivakumar asserted.

This event will be attended by AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, all members of the Congress Working Committee, Chief Ministers, MLAs, and MPs.

“The following day, a large public rally will be organized. Party leaders, including panchayat members, committee and corporation members, and nominated representatives, are expected to participate in the rally,” Shivakumar announced.

Shivakumar further revealed that a statue of Gandhi would be unveiled near Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi, with invitations extended to all MLAs and Council leaders from various parties for this occasion. The program will be led by the Speaker and Chairpersons.

“AICC General Secretaries will visit and inspect the event venues, after which more specifics about the other programs will be shared. ‘Opportunities do not come looking for us; we have to seek them out,’ as Indira Gandhi once said. Sonia Gandhi has authored a book detailing Indira Gandhi’s insightful sayings. I have translated that book into Kannada, and it will be launched during the Gandhi Bharat program,” Shivakumar stated.

A meeting will be convened with all leaders from the Belagavi region at the Congress office to discuss preparations for the event,” he concluded.