BENGALURU: India’s most imposing legislature secretariat, the Vidhana Soudha, is ready with added grandeur to celebrate its diamond jubilee with a historic address to a joint session of the Houses by President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday.
Kovind, who arrived in the city on Tuesday afternoon, will address the session at 11 am and also visit the Legislative Council hall. Members of both Houses will have a photoshoot with the President opposite the Gandhi statue between Vidhana Soudha and Vikasa Soudha.Though the grand structure is decked up for the occasion and the stage is set for the big occasion, the controversy over the big spending for the event and the undercurrent of dismay among many legislators against the way the entire show is being conducted is showing ominous signs.
The `26 crore estimate submitted by the Legislature Secretariat for the event was cut to `10 crore by CM Siddaramaiah in the face of strong public outrage.The Vidhana Soudha has got a fresh coat of paint and special illumination for the occasion. Floral decorations have added to its charm.
The Soudha has turned into a fortress with heavy security arrangements for the event and half a day’s leave has been granted for the staff working in Vidhana Soudha as part of the security precaution.
JD(S) legislators to shun allowance, lunch
Conveying their displeasure in no uncertain terms about the splurging for the occasion, JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy has said that his party legislators will stay away from the grand lunch and will not even drink the water provided to attendees on the occasion.
JD(S) legislators have also decided not to accept travel allowance and session allowance being paid for attending the session, JD(S) senior leader H D Revanna said.
The budget cut for the event has hit the production of documentaries depicting the history of the state legislature, its evolution, construction of Vidhana Soudha, history and cultural ethos of the state.
While the documentary assigned to Girish Kasaravalli and 3D virtual reality video by
Master Kishen are said to be ready, the documentary ‘Shasanasabhe Nadedubanda Daari’ (journey of the legislature) by T N Seetharam has taken a hit as only 2 of the 7 parts have been completed.