By Gouri Satya, Sr. Journalist

In over five decades of service as a journalist, donning a double role as the Editor of ‘Samachar’ and reporter of a few State and National Dailies, I had several experiences, many of which continue to be fresh in my memory. One such experience was significant and is worth recalling.

It was the Emergency period. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had declared an Emergency all over the country. Many National, State-level and even local-level leaders had been taken into custody. At that time, D. Devaraj Urs was at the helm of affairs in the State. He had joined the Congress party in 1952, based on his strong political-ideological convictions.

As Chief Minister, he had given a new direction to the State, adopting progressive policies that brought him respect and admiration from all sections of the society. He initiated many programmes and policies bearing in mind the welfare of the people and the State, particularly those from the weaker sections.

When the Congress split into the Nijalingappa faction and Indira Gandhi faction in 1969, Devaraj Urs strongly supported Indira Gandhi and helped in the task of consolidation of the Indira Congress in the State. He enabled her to win all 27 seats in the 1972 Lok Sabha elections from the State and commanded respect. With his policies and dynamism, he had emerged as an alternative leader for his partymen. Indira Gandhi was aware of his abilities and appreciated his work both within the party and the State.

When Indira Gandhi imposed an Emergency in the country on June 25, 1975, he was unhappy. He was reluctant to follow her diktat and arrest many prominent leaders in the State. He was even critical of the imposition of Emergency and abuse of political power by her henchmen. Naturally, Indira Gandhi was not happy with Urs’ stance. Political differences began to crop up between the two leaders.

It was at this time that Indira Gandhi visited Mysuru. She stayed overnight at the Government House. The next day, when she woke up to take the flight back to Delhi, she was looking fresh and relaxed.

The early morning rain had made the atmosphere pleasant and pleasing. The air was refreshingly cool with the smell of the rain spread all around. Prominent Congress party leaders led by Chief Minister Devaraj Urs and senior officials were waiting to bid farewell to the Prime Minister at the helipad.

Those were the days when security was less tight than we see today. Access even to a Minister or a Legislator is difficult today. However, during my days, the scenario was different. One could have easy access to any leader without security checks and restrictions.

On that day morning, we were about 20 waiting for the Prime Minister, conversing with top Police officers and a few leaders who included the Chief Minister, his Ministerial colleagues and party leaders. There were not many of them and it was a small crowd. A refreshed Prime Minister came out of her car and began to walk towards the helicopter. We observed there was very little bonhomie between Urs and Indira Gandhi. Both were cold to each other, considering their political closeness. There were no whispers or a brief tete-e-tete as generally took place on such occasions.

The Prime Minister was walking past the pressmen. Trying to draw her attention, I asked her, “How was your stay, Madam.”

Indira Gandhi turned back and stood looking at the small group of pressmen. Having heard my question, she came a little closer to me and responding to my ‘Namaste’ with folded hands, she said, “It was pleasant. Mysuru is a beautiful city.”

Her next few words were loaded with significant meaning. It indicated the increasing differences between herself and Devaraj Urs, who was standing close to her.

“Ask your Chief Minister to invite me often,” she said, walking towards the copter.

Her last sentence revealed enough for a good copy as we say in journalistic language. There were already rumours about the political differences cropping up between the two leaders. Her reply further confirmed the rumours and gave us a good copy to write about.

The rest was history as they say. Political developments that followed brought about significant changes in the politics of the country. Devaraj Urs was expelled from the party. He was defeated in the election held thereafter in 1980 and R. Gundu Rao became the Chief Minister.

Two years later Devaraj Urs, who had emerged on the national scene as a dynamic leader and provided a new image to the State with his policies and programmes, including naming the State as ‘Karnataka,’ passed away, ditched by his close political associates, mental agonies and sickness hastening his end. It was the sad end   of a stalwart.

The post A momentous event in my career with Indira Gandhi appeared first on Star of Mysore.

Mysore/Mysuru: The 106th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was celebrated at the Congress Bhavan here on Nov. 19, by the City and District units of Congress party.

Sexual minority activist Pranati Prakash, model farmer Vasantakumari, Dr. Ratnamma of Soliga community, civic worker Narasamma, award winning nurse Nandini and ASHA worker Mahadevamma jointly  inaugurated the birth anniversary celebrations.

Kannada professor and thinker Prof. K.N. Lolakshi, who spoke on ‘Indira India Rajakeeya Savalugalu’ said “When Indira Gandhi assumed power, India was not a prosperous country and was reeling under poverty. Britishers had looted our country and emptied our wealth and India was a male dominated country and conservationists  didn’t want her to become the  PM. Indira Gandhi faced all this with courage, became the PM and liberated India from hunger and implemented programmes to free the country from poverty,” she explained.

Stating that Indira Gandhi implemented many revolutionary reforms in the male dominated society of our country, Prof. Lolakshi said “Indira Gandhi made India recognisable by providing a strong administration.

“Indira Gandhi still remains in the heart of Indians even today as a non-political, secular and non-partisan leader,” concluded Prof. Lolakshi.

Mysuru District Rural Congress Committee President Dr.B.J. Vijaykumar, City Congress President R. Murthy, former ZP President K. Marigowda, party leaders Shivanna, Eshwar Chakkadi, former Mayor Pushpalatha Chikkanna and others were present.

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Karnataka 2023 Assembly elections

Indira Gandhi had reacted, rather cryptically, to a journalist who asked her how she felt after her 1980 Parliamentary elections’ victory trouncing the Janata Party, saying, ‘the whole world loves the winner.’ Of course, she did not say that the loser is an orphan. After yesterday’s unprecedented victory of the Congress in the Karnataka Assembly elections, the whole world, or the whole Karnataka, may not love Congress, but BJP seems to have become an orphan.

It was a clean sweep for Congress with an absolute majority. If there was to be a wafer thin margin, Congress would have certainly faced a repeat of ‘Operation Kamala’ like in the past. Now it is rather impossible. However, the real winner is the VOTER. And another orphan is the JD(S).

The BJP government of 2019, following the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government formed after the 2018 Assembly elections, was born of sin, political adultery, following the infamous ‘Operation Kamala.’

This time the JD(S) thought it could be third time lucky by occupying the Chief Minister’s chair in the event of a fractured mandate as in the past two Assembly elections. But sadly for JD(S) it was not to be. Thus it is left at the end of the political corridor as an orphan.

However, worse is the plight of BJP, post election. Indeed pathetic. But it is a self-inflicted wound. A political harakiri. It may have to spend the next five year’s licking its wounds like a wounded tiger. It happened between 2013 and 2018 when Siddharamaiah completed a full term of five years unchallenged and unquestioned even by the Congress High Command which had already become effete like the last days of Mughal rule.

This time we will have to see who will be the CM and whether Chief Minister’s position is shared between the two contenders — Siddharamaiah, the Opposition Leader in the previous government and D.K. Shivakumar, the KPCC President. In all fairness, Siddharamaiah having already enjoyed the position of CM for a full term, this time D.K. Shivakumar should be given that honour. After all, there is a precedence of S.M. Krishna being made the Chief Minister in 1999, by virtue of his being the KPCC President, for a full term. It was so when Indira Gandhi made D. Devaraja Urs, the Chief Minister.

But politics is an art of possibilities and a game of thrones. Ambition for power is what drives a politician. And Sidharamaiah is a hardcore politician, politics oozing out from every pore of his skin, so also his rival for CM’s office D.K. Shivakumar. That decision, of course, will be left, not to the Congress Legislature Party as it should normally and legally be, but to the Congress High Command. That is the tradition in India among all the political parties. No question please.

And there will indeed be a question that will be discussed in the Congress — who is the architect of the victory? Already that honour is placed at the feet of Rahul Gandhi. And he will decide about the Chief Minister. It is generally spoken that while madam Sonia Gandhi is disposed towards Siddharamaiah, Rahul Gandhi is for D.K. Shivakumar. This question may finally be answered by asking the two to share the office. Again the question will arise: Who will be the first one to occupy the throne? After all the pomp and power can be seen and enjoyed in the ceremonial swearing-in of the Chief Minister, not later after two-and-half-years when the baton of office will be passed on to another. Let us wait for the drama to unfold.

As I ruminate on the new Chief Minister, I am wondering whatever happened to the idea of having a first Dalit Chief Minister for Karnataka? After all, AICC President from Karnataka Mallikarjun Kharge too had sweated it out in this election and so also Dr. G. Parameshwara, who lost earlier in 2013 as he had lost the election. All these questions are bound to arise and they would be answered wisely by the Congress High Command. Let it be.

One should be happy about the result because, we are getting a stable government. Which is why I said that in this election, voter was the King. And only when there is a stable government, the good governance is possible. Like it happened during S.M. Krishna’s period and later during the time of Siddharamaiah. With Siddharamaiah there were some controversies like the decisions taken about the Veerashaiva-Lingayat as a religion and about celebrating Tipu Jayanti. And it also damaged its election outcome in 2018. Otherwise, Siddharamaiah had given a fairly good government to Karnataka.

In Karnataka, BJP should realise that it should give up its crab-culture in pursuit of individual power and position. Swami Vivekananda said, take religion to the Daridranarayana through his stomach. Congress may not have taken the religion to the poor (BPL card holders) but it indeed had taken food for the poor. That was the secret of its success in this election, according to me. After all the poor and the lower middle class form the bulk of the voters, others go for a holiday on the voting day!

And look at the marketing strategy of the Congress party. They offered food security under a guarantee card signed by D.K. Shivakumar and Siddharamaiah — Gruhalakshmi: Rs. 2,000 to the woman head of the family. Gruha Jyoti: 200 units of electricity free. Anna Bhagya: 10 kg rice free to each person. Yuva Nidhi: Unemployment allowance – Rs. 3,000 for graduates and Rs. 1,500 for diploma holders.

Remember, the Congress was not making a “promise”, as it knows people are intelligent and they don’t believe a politician’s ‘promise.’ So the State Congress hit up this idea of offering to the poor majority of the voters a “guarantee” of this kind. And lo and behold the victory.

Now a word about BJP in Karnataka. In 2019 what came out from the troubled political pond was not a lotus but a nettle. There was no governance, though there was general routine administration. There was rampant corruption shown on TV, social media and newspapers. Only unwise would change horse in midstream. Where was the need to change B.S. Yediyurappa and bring in Basavaraj Bommai, a docile, gentle soul when the party needed someone who can match Siddharamaiah and D.K. Shivakumar in their political dare-devilry and hardwork. No wonder, BJP had to lose the elections in a most humiliating manner, like Congress did in the 2014 and 2019 Parliamentary elections.

It is unfortunate that the only BJP stronghold in the South of India had to wilt and wither this way.

Be that as it may, the sad part of BJP’s campaign was bringing in Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and a host of other BJP leaders to canvass. Yes Rahul, Priyanka and Sonia Gandhi too came. But Modi’s invasion of Karnataka was unheard of in the history of the State as I know. The road shows, the public meetings and the temple run. But to what avail. Everything Modi, Amit Shah and others did and said came to naught. I should think the shine and sheen the iconic Modi personality had after his glorious election canvassing in the North-Eastern States that brought unprecedented victory, was wiped out here in Karnataka following BJP’s disastrous defeat. Whatever it be, for Congress this Karnataka victory is a harbinger of hope for the 2024 Parliament election. No matter the opposition parties do not coalesce well and allow Congress to lead the charge.

And finally, for Narendra Modi, the Karnataka BJP honchos did not become the change the Karnataka people wanted to see as they saw in Modi at the Centre.

And as for Modi, though he asserted that neither he would be venal nor would he allow others to be venal, he kept mum when corruption was dancing all over the Vidhana Soudha floors and at the local and village level administration. Dear Prime Minister Modi, ‘There are none so blind as those who will not see.’

e-mail: voice@starofmysore.com

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By T.G.S. George

I spent an hour with Indira Gandhi last week. She was at her photogenic best, looking confident, well-groomed, attractive. She kept a camera-conscious smile all the time, though there were moments when uncomfortable questions were thrown at her and she had to make an effort to look composed. It was a 1978 television interview with the BBC’s Jonathan Dimbleby — a year after the infamous Emergency during which she and her son Sanjay Gandhi brought India under their dictatorship.

It was clear that Indira agreed to the interview because of the magical aura of the  Dimbleby name. The present generation may be unaware of what that surname meant. During the Indira years, the BBC had more influence in India than it has today and no BBC name was more awe-inspiring than Dimbleby. For three generations that name had dominated the glamour associated with the BBC. Richard Dimbleby, who ran a programme called ‘Panorama’ had the popularity of a film star and the status of a political messiah. He pioneered the television interview style that combined politeness with toughness. His sons David  Dimbleby and Jonathan Dimbleby continued that tradition with great competence. David’s son Henry Dimbleby took it to the next generation. A remarkable family record.

The Indira interview by Jonathan Dimbleby was notable for the thoroughness of the homework he had done and for the manner in which Indira defended herself. He brought out the ruthlessness of her two-year Emergency,  from imprisonment of political opponents to the scandalous sterilisation programme supervised by Sanjay Gandhi. Young and old were lined up to be surgically rendered incapable of reproduction. It was Sanjay Gandhi’s idea of solving India’s population problem.

In the Dimbleby interview, Indira justified everything she did. There wasn’t even a hint that perhaps this or that could have been done in a different way. The premise on which things were justified was, as she explained, opponents were committed to the policy of “if we cannot win by the ballet, we shall win by the bullet.” If she had not taken a firm stand against such desperate opponents, she said, “India would not have survived.”

That is the kind of self-serving justification all autocrats find for their abuse of democracy. It is a pity that a shrewed political tactician like Indira did not understand that people’s  feelings  were hurt by her  Emergency rule. In the 1977 election that followed the Emergency, the Congress party lost control of India for the first time since independence. It is a different matter that the hastily  concocted Janata Party alliance fell by the wayside with Morarji Desai’s eccentricities and Chandrasekhar’s personal ambitions turning the whole thing into a circus.

Indira did have a strong democratic instinct within her. May be the Nehru family tradition had something to do with it although it is fashionable these days to dismiss Nehru as an inconsequential figure. It must be that inherited instinct that led her to announce a general election when she could have just as well continued with the convenient Emergency. Clearly she wanted the stamp of  popular  approval for her rule. It must have been a surprise to her that people declined to  act as rubberstamps.

Perhaps the best example of Indira taking the public for granted was her claim that pre-censorship was abandoned because the press began self-censorship. It was an enforced self-censorship.  No report on Tihar Jail was permitted.  Can we imagine the press doing it on its own?  Film star Nargis was arrested in London on a shoplifting charge. Reports on this were ordered to be blacked out. Indira saw nothing wrong in such things. She sincerely believed that she never  lost the support of the people. As she saw it, people were simply misled by her opponents.  The real tragedy was not her losing popularity, but her conviction  that no popularity loss occurred. Coomi Kapoor’s “The Emergency: A Personal History” provides quite a few revealing sidelights.

May be it was her insecurity that spoiled what could have been a life of triumph.  And the contradictions in her. She would dote on her spoiled son Sanjay — and turn violently angry against Sanjay’s wife Maneka, throwing her luggage out of the house in full view of the world. She loved sycophants  including those who shouted the disgraceful slogan “India is Indira.” The stuff of greatness was in her, but so was the pull of smallness. The smallness could not even be camouflaged. In Shakespearian terms, the evil she did lived after her, the good was interred with her bones.

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Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah decided that India as a country, after 73 years of Independence, should for once wake up from its euphoria of freedom and slumber of complacency, much had happened to our country’s destiny. 

If 1947 was a red letter day for India, so also was 2019. When we got Independence, we thought we would redeem our past which was mired in disgrace, because of over 1,000 years of Muslim and British rule. But, did we really redeem our past, if not abundantly, at least in good measure (to borrow Nehru’s words)? I was born before 1947 and always felt that even after Independence it has been a continuation of the administration that was in vogue during British rule. Earlier to that, Sultans and the Mughals ruled, appeasing Muslim Nawabs and family members with Zamindari, territories and plum offices. Only difference is that Zamindari is abolished, Royal and British titles are abjured and all the top officials now are Indians. 

Even here, Nehru managed to have his friend, an englishman, Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was the Governor General of United India in 1947, to continue as divided India’s first Governor General ! Later, good sense prevailed to have Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, an Indian, as Governor General for a period till that office, on abolition, was adorned by Dr. Rajendra Prasad as the President of India. 

As for Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah forthright refused when a proposal was made to have Lord Louis Mountbatten as Pakistan’s first Governor General                                                               like in India. That in my humble opinion was the PRIDE of an independent, sovereign Pakistan in stark, sad contrast to an equally independent, sovereign India. Perish the thought.

It is sad that India has been compromising and forgiving with its foreign rulers for over 1,000 years and that habit still seems to continue. Let it be.

Unfortunately, the Hindu majority community, after India was divided with bloodshed on the basis of religion, never realised their aspiration of redeeming its Hindu past and correcting many historical wrongs inflicted on it by foreign rule. Even the Janata Party after 1975 Emergency rule and during six years of BJP’s rule under Vajpayee could not think of redeeming our country’s ancient past in its multiple dimensions of spiritual and cultural heritage. Even demoralising visible wounds of foreign rule are allowed to remain to the present! There is much to learn from Spain and some European countries. 

Many thought the religious majority would realise their aspirations when BJP came to power again in 2014 with Narendra Modi as Prime                                                Minister. Nothing much happened beyond creating a visible perception of India being a Hindu majority country because of Prime Minister Modi’s personal attire and utterances about the glory of this ancient country’s culture and civilisations. 

It is only in BJP’s second term that began in 2019 with absolute majority in the Parliament and with Amit Shah as Home Minister, the country was able to correct a number of historical wrongs committed by the earlier foreign rulers. Some steps were taken to erase the remnants of disgrace that remained in the form of destroyed ancient temples of Hindus and in the form of Muslim and English names given to our ancient cities and important roads. A road in Delhi named Aurangzeb was changed only recently after 68 years of Independence. Even here this BJP Government has to work under the constraints of an amended Constitution, amended during the rule of Congress Government.  

Despite these legal inhibitions, the Modi-Shah unbeatable combination succeeded in bringing a number of laws within the framework of our Constitution  — like for example the law against Triple Talaq, the abolition of the most discriminatory and non-secular Article 370 relating to Jammu & Kashmir, most important Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), so on and so forth. Before BJP came to power under Modi, for me, it was almost like a foreign rule by proxy. It was clearly a case of vote bank politics which Vajpayee too imitated during his time but without success.

Why do I reminisce the past in this manner? It is because my mind was ignited on seeing Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s painted portrait on the front cover of America’s weekly magazine TIME dated 16th March 2020. It is a special issue dedicated to women. Apparently, because of the Women’s Day that fell on Mar. 8, I think. The magazine carries pen sketches of many famous and distinguished women leaders of the world and Indira Gandhi appears in it with a beautiful photograph as Prime Minister in 1976. The title that writer has more appropriately given reads, “Indira Gandhi – Imperious leader”. The very opening sentence is eloquent about the personality of Indira Gandhi. It says “In 1976, the ‘Empress of India’ had become India’s great authoritarian”. The article written by Sagarika Ghose says at one point, “She quickly ripped apart her father’s democracy and amended India’s Constitution to give herself  enormous powers. She jailed political opponents, muzzled the press and extinguished fundamental rights across the country.” 

Incidentally, today the same Congress party along with the support of some Muslim minority is opposing the CAA, enacted under the same Constitution. 

No wonder, despite the CAA being passed by the Parliament as per the Constitution, the Congress party launched a protest which later led to a riot killing 57  people, injuring many and causing loss of crore worth of properties belonging to the country and the innocent people of Delhi. No doubt a large number of innocent Muslims who participated in this Shaheen Bagh protest, that lasted over two months, were misled by the opposition to achieve its political agenda. It was neither for the good of Indian Muslim brethren nor for the good of the Nation.  

Only when all the political parties respect the Constitution by accepting the law passed under this Constitution, whether in victory or in defeat, will there be peace in our country. And, without peace, there can be no progress. Now is the time for the Opposition to accept this Constitution or take steps to amend or to review it to suit their political agenda, forgetting the county’s interest, when they come to power. 

But, this kind of protest may continue each time the Parliament passes a law by whoever is in Opposition. So where is the end to this Shaheen Bagh kind of unconstitutional protest? You are warned. 

God Save India

e-mail: kbg@starofmysore.com

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New Delhi: The 1970-71 Union Budget was presented by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who was also the Finance Minister during that time for a year. 

Among a host of announcements, Gandhi also “touched” the “smoker’s pocket”. 

In her speech, she apologised for altering the prices for cigarettes. “I am sorry that the smoker’s pocket has to be touched once again. The duty on cigarettes is being enhanced with the increase ranging from 3 per cent to 22 per cent ‘ad valorem’ depending on the value slabs. The cheaper varieties of cigarettes will go up by only one or two paise per packet of 10 cigarettes,” she announced.

Gandhi then proceeded to poke fun at the smokers and said, “Assuming that the smoking community remains steadfast in its devotion, the additional revenue from this measure will be Rs.13.50 crore.”

The former Finance Minister had also increased the scope of ‘ad valorem’ duty levied on prepared and preserved foods to vegetable juices, synthetic syrups and sherbets, dehydrated peas, malted foods, instant coffee, instant tea, jelly crystals, custard and ice cream powders, biscuits, cocoa powder, drinking chocolate, pasteurised butter, processed cheese, branded aerated water, glucose and dextrose.

She continued to make fun in good humour and said, “I hope the honourable members will not accuse me of having preferences of my own. 

Even under my proposals, aerated waters, biscuits, butter and cheese will be taxed only when manufactured with the aid of power and there will be total exemption from tax for baby foods and branded ‘desi’ ghee. These proposals will yield additional revenue of Rs. 8.68 crore.”  

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City Congress President R. Murthy offering floral tributes to the portrait of Iron Lady and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on account of her 34th death anniversary at the programme held at District Congress Office near City Railway Station in city this morning. Former Minister C.H. Vijayashankar, former MLA Vasu, AICC Member Dr. Pushpa Amarnath and others look on.

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To celebrate Indira Gandhi’s birth centenary on Nov.19, Vayu, a Delhi-based design house, commissioned sarees inspired by those worn by the late Prime Minister. This design challenge was given to Vimor Sarees, a handloom house in Bengaluru since 1970s.

Vimor was started by Jimmy Nanjappa in 1967 and is now run by her daughter Pavithra Muddaya, who is a textile designer.

Sonia Gandhi flanked by Pavithra Muddaya (left) and Vipra Muddaya at Vimor Saree Store. Picture right shows Priyanka Gandhi with Arup Muddaya, Vipra Muddaya and Pavithra Muddaya.

“I already had 6 designs of Mrs. Gandhi’s sarees as she had bought sarees from us. Then I got a few more designs from her personal collection and created 14 patterns in various colour palettes,” said Pavithra Muddaya, who created a total of 112 sarees which were exhibited at Vayu Design Store in Bikaner House, New Delhi and were later sold.

These sarees that range from Rs. 7,000 to Rs. 50,000 comes wrapped in a piece of mulmul (a fine, soft cotton muslin) with a Vyjayanthimala (rosary) in a black box.

“It’s all sold out in Delhi, but I have the rights to recreate it so they will be available in our Vimor Store in Victoria Layout, Bengaluru, soon,” said Pavithra Muddaya.

When asked what the Gandhis thought of her work she says, “Priyanka Gandhi visited us to see what we had created and said that we had  truly done justice to her grandmother’s taste in sarees, so I’m glad.”

It turns out that most of the elite of Delhi have been sourcing their handlooms from Vimor, since the 1970s. Appaneravanda Pavithra Muddaya lives in Bengaluru and is married to Dr. Kongera Muddaya. She continues to manage the family handloom business with the help of her daughter Vipra and son Arup.

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Mysuru: Marking the birth centenary of Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, hundreds of women under the banner of Sahukar Chennaiah Block Congress Committee, will take out a candle light procession in city at 6 pm this evening (Nov. 25). The procession which commences from KEB Circle on Azeez Sait  Double Road will terminate at Nehru Circle, Udayagiri. District In-charge Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Tanveer Sait, AICC Secretary Vishnunathan, City Congress President R. Murthy and   others will be present.

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Mysuru: Hailing late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as a statesman and a great human activist, District In-charge Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa said that it was important to spread Indira Gandhi’s message on the country’s unity and integrity to the younger generation of today.

He was speaking after inaugurating Indira Gandhi Birth Centenary celebration organised by the City and District Congress in the premises of Congress Bhavan besides City Railway Station here this morning.

Recalling Indira Gandhi’s contribution to the country, he said that the late PM was instrumental in nationalising banks in the late 1960s, which resulted in the common man becoming closer to banks.

Pointing out that Indira Gandhi always stood for unity, integrity and harmony of the country, Dr. Mahadevappa said that she took some hard decisions in the interests of the country.

Maintaining that Indira Gandhi was a committed Congress leader who led the country through sheer grit and determination, he asserted that Indira Gandhi was a strong leader who took the right decisions for the cause of the country. The Minister further said that a State-level convention of minorities will be held in the premises on Nov. 30, during which the Congress Bhavan will be inaugurated. Earlier Dr. Mahadevappa and other Congress leaders offered floral tributes to the portrait of Indira Gandhi.

MLA Vasu, MLC R. Dharmasena, City Congress President R. Murthy and others were present.

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