Rajyotsava was celebrated across Belagavi district in government and private offices and schools and colleges on Monday.
District in-charge Minister Govind Karjol hoisted the national flag and felicitated achievers in various fields at the CPED Grounds Stadium. He recalled the contribution of journalists, activists and writers to the cause of unification of the State.
He felicitated activists Ramesh Sontakki, Padmaraj Vaijannanavar, Tippeswami, Ganesh Rokhade, Balu Udagatti and Shivanagouda Patil, journalists Shreeshail Mathad, Srikant Kubakaddi, Kiran Malennanavar, Kuntinath Kalamani, Rajashekar Patil, Vilas Joshi, Sunita Desai and Mahantesh Gaddishettihalli, artists Yadavendra Pujari, Holeppa Nesaragi, Shivalinga Karavinakoppa and Brahmananda Basaragi, environmentalist Firoz Chahus, sportsperson Malaprabha Jadhav, social workers Sunil Neginal and Channabasayya Kathapurimath, writers Ramakrishna Marathe, Nagaraj Murugod and Asha Kadapatti.
Despite the express ban on processions and public celebrations, Kannada enthusiasts gathered in large numbers at the Rani Channamma Circle here to celebrate Rajyotsava. Hundreds of youth gathered in the circle for hours, waved flags, shouted slogans and danced to popular numbers.
Black Day
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti leaders gathered at the Maratha Mandal to observe Rajyotsava as Black Day. Shubham Shelke, youth wing leader, said that linguistic division of States has given the right to people who spoke various languages to join various regions. “This is a Constitutional right and we will get it,” he said.
Manohar Kinekar urged political parties in Maharashtra to join the MES struggle for merger of the region with Maharashtra. “Even if they don’t support us, we will continue to agitate,” he said.
He said that the Karnataka Government was imposing Kannada on non-Kannada speakers which was a violation of the fundamental right of linguistic minorities.
The former Mayor Sarita Patil said that national parties are fast losing loyal followers and are trying to recruit MES cadre instead. She challenged “so-called nationalist and Hindutva professing parties’’ to hoist the saffron flag over the city corporation building.
Participants wore black badges and held placards with slogans against the Karnataka Government.
