Mysuru: Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched Congress party membership drive by blowing bugle at his native Siddaramanahundi near here on Saturday December 11.
Addressing the gathering Siddaramaiah said, ‘The Congress leaders including sitting and former MLAs and MPs have enrolled membership in the villages where they vote. It is a matter of pride to be the member of 136-year-old Congress party. It was A. O. Hume who founded Congress in 1885 and Dr. Bannerjee was the maiden President. In the later years, Gopalakrishna Gokhale, Balgangadhar Tilak, Sardar Vallababhai Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and now Sonia Gandhi have served as the presidents.
Congress Leader said, Mahatma Gandhi who returned to India on the invitation of Gokhale, jumped into freedom movement after being a witness to atrocities committed by British, till 1947. After Independence when the country was partitioned Nehru became the first Prime Minister. RSS though founded in 1925, its contribution to freedom movement is zero. Now, BJP is portraying Veer Savarkar as a freedom fighter. In reality, Savarkar was not a freedom fighter. Savarkar had frequently appealed to British then to release him from jail promising not to take part in freedom movement. After Savarkar apologised, British also released him from jail,” said Siddaramaiah.
He added, “Moreover, it was Congress leaders who laid down their lives for the country and also lost their wealth. Those who had a least role to play in freedom movement are out to preach others. Narendra Modi, Lal Krishna Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee were not freedom fighters but are the beneficiaries. I was born on August 03, 1947, 12 days before India got its freedom and I am also a beneficiary.”
Heaping praises on Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the Chairman of Draft Committee of the Constitution and initiated measures for egalitarian society, said Siddaramaiah.
Earlier Siddaramaiah accompanied by his son and Varuna MLA Dr. Yathindra was brought in a bullock cart rally to the programme
venue.
