BENGALURU: Congress will observe Gandhi Jayanti in a big way with Gandhi Nadige (Mahatma Gandhi’s walk) across the state for a year, marking the Father of the Nation taking over as Congress president 100 years ago in Belagavi.
The party’s 136 MLAs will contribute Rs 25,000 each from their monthly salaries to fund the year-long programmes, said Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president DK Shivakumar, here on Monday.
He said to celebrate the centenary, Gandhi Walk and Cleanliness Pledge programmes have been organised across the state. Various other programmes will be held throughout the year, he added.
At 11 am on October 2, the Gandhi Nadige will be taken from Gandhi statue on MG Road to Bharat Jodo Bhavan of KPCC office on Queen’s Road. The programme will be held at all district, taluk and block levels of the state.
Programmes from all the centres will be telecast simultaneously through virtual platforms. The oath will be administered directly on cleanliness and Gandhi’s ideas, he added.
To also commemorate the centenary of Gandhi’s ascendancy to the party president’s post in December 1924, a joint legislature session will be held in the last week of December, he added.
The party’s session will also be held separately on the lines of the Belagavi session 100 years ago to relive Gandhi’s philosophy, ideology, message and contributions, he said.
It is mandatory for MLAs to take part in the programmes in their respective Assembly constituencies. Where there are no party MLAs, Council members, district presidents, vice-presidents and office-bearers should conduct activities, he said.
As part of the government programme, on the morning of October 2, a 1.5 km Gandhi Walk will be taken out from Gandhi Bhavan to the Gandhi statue in Vidhana Soudha. Later, over 500 school students will be taught about the cleanliness campaign in the banquet hall of Vidhana Soudha, he said.
A 60-member committee, consisting of Veerappa Moily, HK Patil, BL Shankar and him, was formed and it has given suggestions and instructions to the government and the party on the celebration plans. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has held many meetings and prepared the programme’s outline, he revealed.