The birth centenary of the former Chief Minister, D. Devaraj Urs, was celebrated on Saturday.
In Kalaburagi, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha M. Mallikarjun Kharge took a dig at the State government for confining the birth centenary celebrations to the Backward Classes and Minorities Department.
Speaking at the birth centenary celebrations of Mr. Urs here, the former Union Minister, said that the celebrations should have been organised by the State government itself.
Mr. Kharge said that Mr. Urs was not just a leader of the backward classes. He said that Mr. Urs worked for the welfare of all the communities.
Treating Mr. Urs as a leader of the backward classes is not in good taste, Mr. Kharge said, adding that the State government should organise the celebrations at least from next year.
Mr. Kharge said that the landmark decision of Mr. Urs to introduce land reforms act ushered in a social revolution and helped the landless agricultural workers to become land owners by distributing the excess land acquired from the landlords according to the provisions of the Land Reforms Act.
Minister for Medical Education Sharanprakash Patil inaugurated the programme.
The former minister, Qamarul Islam, Kalaburagi Mahanagara Palike Mayor Syed Ahmed, Deputy Commissioner Ujjwalkumar Ghosh, and Superintendent of Police N. Shashikumar were present.
In Yadgir, the former Minister, Baburao Chinchansur, MLA, inaugurated the programme. Mr. Chinchansur said that Mr. Urs had implemented several remarkable reforms in the administration as the State’s Chief Minister.
Marigowda Hulkal, chairman of the Command Area Development Authority of Bheemarayanagudi, said that Mr. Urs was the voice for the voiceless from the deprived communities.
Earlier, a grand procession was carried out from the office of the Deputy Commissioner to Vidhya Mangala Bhavan where the programme was held.
‘Follow his principles’
In Ballari, Santosh Lad, Minister for Labour, inaugurated the programme and said that Mr. Urs had come out with several revolutionary schemes, including allotting land to the tiller, for the welfare and upliftment of the backward classes.
Deputy Commissioner Ramprasath Manohar urged those from the backward classes to follow the ideals of Mr. Urs. K.C. Kondaiah, MLC, Cheluvaraju, professor of Tribal Studies in Kannada University, Hampi, N.Y. Gopalkrishna, MLA, Mayor Jayalalita, Humayun Khan, chairman Ballari Urban Development Authority and others were present on the occasion.
‘Voice of the oppressed’
In Koppal, Shekarappa Nagralli, president of the zilla panchayat, said that Mr. Urs was the voice of the backward, oppressed and suppressed classes and strived hard for their upliftment. Vittlappa Gorantli, writer and Rudresh Ghali, Additional Deputy Commissioner, also spoke.
In Chitradurga, B.N. Chandrappa, MP, said that the present day politicians and public should follow the ideal of Mr. Urs. He was speaking after inaugurating a programme organised by the District Congress Committee here.
The MP said that hostels set up for students across the State are the gift of Mr. Urs. “Apart from taking up several welfare works, Mr. Urs also inspired many youth to take up quality politics and created a new cult,” he added. Jayamma Balraj, MLC, and others were present.
In Bidar, district in-charge Minister Eshwar Khandre said Mr. Urs was among the few leaders in the country with far sightedness and a vision of welfare for all.
Rahim Khan, MLA, said that Mr. Urs identified leaders from microscopic communities who would have otherwise had no chances of winning elections on their own.
This led to the emergence of a totally new kind of politics in the State, he said.
Resource person Basavaraj Ballur spoke on the life and contribution of Mr Urs. Deputy Commissioner Anurag Tewari, zilla panchayat CEO Pavan Kumar Malpati, Assistant Commissioner Venkat Raja and others were present on the occasion.
