4 weeks ago
Last Updated:October 24, 2024, 15:42 IST
Karnataka minister HK Patil said the special invitation is expected to be sent soon and the state government is hopeful that the former US President, who admires Mahatma Gandhi, will accept it
Former US President Barack Obama. (File photo: AP)
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah will be writing to former United States President Barack Obama to invite him to the centenary celebrations of the Belgaum Congress session to be held in December this year in the state.
Obama is being invited to address the joint session of the Karnataka assembly’s winter session held annually in Belagavi (formerly Belgaum). The two-term former US president who has visited India twice before, had also mentioned how Mahatma Gandhi has inspired him and that his fascination with India has also largely been around the Independence icon, his writings, and how his thoughts resonated Obama’s deepest instincts as well.
In his book A Promised Land, Obama speaks of Gandhi and how his “successful non-violent campaign against British rule became a beacon for other dispossessed, marginalised groups”.
Karnataka minister of law HK Patil said that this special invitation is expected to be sent soon and the state government is hopeful that Obama, who called Mahatma Gandhi the leader of the world, will accept it.
“The CM will be writing to Obama this week and the former President’s office has already been informed previously of the Karnataka government’s wish to extend this invitation to him,” confirmed a source in the chief minister’s office.
This special celebration was announced by Siddaramaiah in the Budget 2024-25 and an allocation of Rs 2 crore has been set aside for it.
The centenary event in Belagavi commemorates Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership at the 39th session of the Indian Congress in 1924, the only time he presided over a Congress session. It was during this session that Gandhi laid out the strategy for India’s independence from British rule.
The session, held from December 26-28, 1924, was organised under the leadership of Gangadhar Rao Deshpande, known as the Lion of Karnataka. Gandhi emphasised non-violence, non-cooperation, satyagraha, and civil disobedience as the key strategies for achieving independence.
The event in 1924 was held in an open field on the outskirts of Belagavi, now called Congress Road, and saw over 75,000 participants from across India who landed in this border area between Karnataka and Goa to pledge their unity against the British Raj.
The session saw stalwarts of the Indian freedom movement such as Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Morarji Desai, C Rajagopalachari, Rajendra Prasad, and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya among others in attendance.
As part of the centenary celebrations, minister Patil outlined plans for a series of events, including a photo exhibition, a year-long display of historical artefacts, the installation of a memorial pillar, and several other commemorative programmes.
Patil also emphasised that the focus will be on rural development and Gandhian Swaraj principles. The celebrations will also feature a comprehensive documentary on the 1924 Congress session, discounts on khadi clothing, the publication and distribution of a mini booklet to raise public awareness, and a photographic exhibition from the historic session. Additionally, a group of Gandhians is organising a Charkha Marathon as part of the celebrations.
Location : First Published:October 24, 2024, 15:42 IST
News india Setting A 'President': Siddaramaiah To Invite Obama For Congress’s Belagavi Centenary Event
