BELAGAVI: Installation of the portrait of Veer Savarkar along with some other noted personalities at the Legislative Assembly hall in Suvarna Vidhan Soudha was the top priority of the state government on the inaugural day of the winter session that got underway in Belagavi on Monday.
Agitated over the launch of Savarkar's portrait, all top Congress leaders headed by the leader of opposition in the legislative assembly Siddaramaiah and KPCC President D K Shivakumar staged a dharna at the Soudha entrance objecting to Savarkar's portrait.
"CM is a King of liars. We have to call CM a King of liars. There was no contribution of Savarkar to the freedom struggle. Savarkar had joined hands with the Britishers and he had written a clemency petition to the British, admitting his mistakes. He has no connection to Karnataka whatsoever,'' said Shivakumar.
However, the opposition MLAs later took to their seats without waging a protest in the legislative assembly and did not object all to the mammoth portrait of Savarkar adorning the wall.
The legislators across the parties paid condolences to several leaders who departed recently when the Speakers began the session on Monday including former CM B S Yediyurappa, leader of opposition Siddaramaiah, former minister H K Patil, Minister Madhu Swamy, several legislators recalled the contributions of the recently dead Deputy Speaker of Legislative Assembly Anand Mamani, MLC SS Pujari, former minister and Sudhindrarao Kasabe, former MP Koluru Basavanagouda, former Rajya Sabha member Abdul Samad Siddiqi, veteran Kannada film actor, theatre artist Lohitashwa, Yakshagana artist Bangar Achar, Kalmane Kamegouda, RL Kashyap and former MLA Shrishailappa Shibaroor.
Soon after the legislators in both Houses offered condolences to the departed souls on the first day, the session was adjourned for Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the attempts made by pro-Maharashtra groups including some of top Maharashtra leaders to hold a parallel session of Marathi people (Mahamelava) on Monday in Belagavi in protest against the winter session, was foiled by the Belagavi district administration.
A large number of people who tried to enter Belagavi from Maharashtra on the border in Nipani were detained by the police. The Belagavi police stopped the Marathi groups from holding the parallel session and removed all the facilities installed by the organisers at Vaccine Depot, the venue of the session.
On the inaugural day, the venue saw a meagre turnout of legislators in both Houses, particularly in the legislative assembly. BJP MLA and former minister K S Eshwarappa decided not to attend the winter session, upset over not being included in the state cabinet. He said in Bagalkot today that he would go to Belagavi but not to the winter session.
According to sources, the session is expected to witness serious business from tomorrow as the government is keen to get several important Bills passed, while the opposition is desperate to nail the government over several scams, issues of 40 per cent commission, law and order situation, etc.