Arrangements for the celebration of the 80th birth anniversary of former Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh, which falls on December 25, are in full swing at his hometown Kalaburagi.
The city is all decked up with posters and banners with birthday wishes for Mr. Dharam Singh at a number of prominent places. The celebration venue is getting ready at the Nutan Vidyalaya grounds, which is close to his house.
Medical Education Minister Sharanprakash Patil told reporters on Thursday that a commemorative volume on the contributions and achievements of Mr. Dharam Singh would be brought out on Sunday.
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Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, is the president of the organising committee for the birth anniversary celebrations.
Gulam Nabi Azad, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah have confirmed their participation at the celebrations. Former Chief Minister M. Veerappa Moily, Home Minister G. Parameshwara and other senior Congress leaders from the Centre and the State too are expected to participate.
Former Minister Qamarul Islam, lauding the contributions of Mr. Dharam Singh, appealed to people across the district to participate in the celebrations. The four-decade journey of Mr. Dharam Singh and his political career, from municipal councillor to Chief Minister, is an inspiration for the many leaders, he said.
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Coming from a microscopic Rajput community, Mr. Dharam Singh has emerged as one of the top leaders in the region, winning eight consecutive terms from the Jewargi Assembly constituency, he said. He also played an important role in the amendment to Article 371(J) of the Constitution and the establishment of the Hyderabad Karnataka Region Development Board to remove regional imbalances, he added.