Participating in the celebrations organised for Mr Bangarappa’s 75th birthday at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore, the leaders congratulated him for showing the courage and determination to work for the landless, poor and the downtrodden.

UNPA  leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav, Chandrababu Naidu, Farooq Abdullah, Amar Singh and others were appreciative of the initiative taken by Mr Bangarappa to groom young leaders in the state.
Mr Naidu, who released the book ‘Sarekoppa Bangara’, said that as India is emerging as a developed and modern country, politicians need to follow a new approach for dealing with new problems and challenges.  
“Nearly one third of the people earn less than Rs 20 per day and the wealth is getting concentrated in the hands of a few. The fruits of economic reforms have to be taken to the common man”, he said. Amar Singh observed that Mr Bangarappa never practised hypocrisy in his life.

“I salute him for his courage, conviction and capability,” he added.
Taking a dig at those who flayed coalition politics, Mr Singh opined that a “federal” government at Delhi would decide country’s destiny.

Mr Yadav, who presided over the programme and presented a purse to Mr Bangarappa, said it was
heartening to note that when there was degeneration of values all around, leaders like Mr Bangarappa never allowed themselves to be affected by such environment. “Bangarappa has always stood for the values and principles he cherished most,” he added.

Union Minister for Planning M V Rajashekharan, who presented the citation, described Mr Bangarappa as a “born fighter”.

In his address, Mr Bangarappa said that he never compromised in politics for the sake of power.
“In my over 40 year political career, I was in power for barely four and a half years. But I never craved for
power,” he remarked and declared that he would devote all his energy for fighting for poor people’s  cause.