JOIN USChampion of backward classes remembered
He was speaking at an interaction programme to pay tribute to D Devaraja Urs at the Rani Bahadur Auditorium, here on Monday.
Commending the initiatives taken by the former chief minister, he said that Urs was the person with the courage to suggest the name of a unified Karnataka.
Taking out his anger on the events playing out in current day politics, Chandregowda said that the Legislative Assembly was a perfect example of a home without a leader.
Continuing he said that at that time politicians weren’t thinking about black money; instead they were working to provide food to people.
Terming former chief minister Urs as a messiah of backward classes, MP H Vishwanath said that the former was responsible for the financial progress of the State.
Mentioning that Urs played a key role in regaining lost ground for the Congress party in the State after the imposition of emergency, Vishwanath said that the former CM had used the period for implementing development projects.
Pointing out that present day political leaders are being identified as belonging to a particular caste, Vishwanath said that Urs had never discriminated among people and had no bias based on caste, community or religion.
Vishwanath said that Urs was among a group of elite leaders such as Kengal Hanumanthaiah, Nijalingappa and Ramakrishna Hegde, who worked for the development of the State.
Former speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Ramesh Kumar opined that during the reign of Urs, several people tried to tarnish the image of the late leader.
Appreciating the works carried out by Urs, he said that when a person did not have any personal agenda and works for the betterment of the State, he becomes a mass leader.
He said that many people in the Congress forgot Urs because of political animosity. This was due to the differences between Urs and Indira Gandhi.
He said that they should tread the path of Urs since he was the people’s leader.
Former minister Subbaiah Shetty, H T Krishnappa, former Vice-Chancellor Dr K Chidanandagowda, Dr H S Lakappagowda, MLA H S Mahadevaprasad and MP R Dhruvanarayan were present.
Rameshkumar lashes out at Cong
Lashing out at the corruption in Congress Party, former speaker of the Legislative Assembly Rameshkumar regretted that if a voice against corruption wasn’t raised, then tickets to the next elections would be auctioned.
Citing an example, he said if a person wants to contest corporation elections, then he is asked the assets owned by him. This is the reason as to why the Congress had lost 17 bypolls.
Venting his ire, he said, “If the party issues a notice stating that I am involved in anti-party activities, I am ready to accept it... Already many of the Congress leaders have lost contact with me.” He stressed on the need to raise a voice against corrupt leaders.