Manmohan Singh dies: All Karnataka government, party events cancelled, says D K Shivakumar

The 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim and Jai Sanvidhan' rally which had been scheduled on Friday as part of Gandhi Bharat programme to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi presiding over the Congress Session held here in the year 1924 has been canceled in wake of demise of former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

Belagavi: Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC President D K Shivakumar informed that 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim and Jai Sanvidhan' rally which had been scheduled on Friday as part of Gandhi Bharat programme to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi presiding over the Congress Session held here in the year 1924 has been canceled in wake of demise of former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

A government holiday has been announced in the state on Friday and a seven-day mourning period declared in the state. It is to be noted that the Centre has also announced a national mourning period of seven days.

Shivakumar told reporters on Thursday night that all government programmes in Karnataka stand canceled during this period.

Speaking to reporters at the Circuit House in Belagavi, Shivakumar said: "We have lost a great leader today who strengthened all sections of the society. The programme planned for tomorrow stands cancelled. Tomorrow is a government holiday and the government has declared a 7-day mourning across the state."

However, the deputy chief minister noted that a mourning programme would be held at the same venue where the Congress had planned to celebrate the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi taking over as the Congress president in 1924.

Shivakumar noted that Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal had already to left for Delhi on a special aircraft.

Noting that most senior Congress leaders would go to Delhi, the deputy chief minister said: "We are speaking to Indigo and are trying to prepone the flight planned for 5 pm tomorrow. Since it's night already, it's tough to organise anything immediately."

KPCC has already delegated protocol responsibilities to party leaders and workers and Shivakumar stated that they should ensure that all responsibilities were taken care of until the leaders return back to their respective places.