The Karnataka Congress on Monday took out a mega 'Freedom March' in the city to commemorate 75 years of independence with thousands of people participating from various parts of the state.
The march is being led by senior party leaders, including former chief minister Siddaramaiah, All India Congress Committee general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, party state chief D K Shivakumar, his brother and MP D K Suresh, and former state unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao. It would pass through important routes including Anand Rao Circle, Freedom Park, Corporation, Town Hall, Minerva Circle, VV Puram and from there to the National College Ground, a party worker said.
National flags were placed all across the way as people walked from Sangolli Rayanna's statue near the Bengaluru City Railway Station and the march would culminate in a public meeting at the National College Ground in Basavanagudi. The event is seen as a show of strength by the Congress ahead of state Assembly elections next year.
"We are organising this event to tell the people about the sacrifices made by the great freedom fighters to get independence, whose fruits we all are enjoying today," Suresh told reporters ahead of the march. A musical event has also been organised after the event gets over in the evening. Bengaluru was chock-a-block with Congress workers and party leaders on the city roads. Elaborate security arrangements were made to ensure that the commuters are not put to hardship and law and order is maintained.
The march is also perceived as Congress state chief D K Shivakumar's answer to 'Siddaramotsava, organised by a section of Congress leaders to project Congress stalwart Siddaramaiah as the chief ministerial candidate, held in Davangere earlier this month. Shivakumar is also contending for the top post if the party comes to power.
Shivakumar and his brother Suresh had organised a march for a balancing reservoir across Cauvery river from Mekedatu in Shivakumar's assembly constituency Kanakapura to the state capital, which was marred by legal hurdles due to the spread of Covid-19 earlier this year.