Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D.K. Shivakumar and other Congress leaders inaugurated the Congress Bhavan in Belagavi on Gandhi Jayanti on Friday.
Mr. Shivakumar said they would focus on strengthening the party from the grassroot level. He said that the Congress would organise State and divisional-level programmes in the bhavan.
Laxmi Hebbalkar, MLA, urged party workers not to lose hope in the party’s strength. “We are the ideological descendants of Gandhiji. Our fight against fascist forces will continue,” she said.
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Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah urged party workers and leaders to take up people’s issues and participate in pro-people movements.
He criticised the Uttar Pradesh police for booking cases against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for violating prohibitory orders.
“That is a baseless charge. Mr. Rahul Gandhi was willing to walk alone to the victim’s house. But the police did not allow him,” he said. He said the U.P. government was anti-democratic. “It is a RSS government. It has no respect for democratic ideals,” he said.
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Later, Mr. Siddarmaiah told journalists that the Congress would not consider JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy’s statement about electoral alliances seriously.
“I would like to ask him who had gone to him seeking an alliance? According to me, the JD(S) is not a political party at all,” he said.
He said the party was yet to discuss the issue of choosing the party nominee for the Belagavi Lok Sabha seat. “The bypoll is yet to be declared. Issues related to them will be discussed later,” he added.