Congress to hold two-day extended session in Belagavi; what's its history?

Starting Thursday, the Congress will hold a two-day extended session of its highest decision-making body, the Congress Working Committee (CWC), alongside a rally in Belagavi, Karnataka, to mark the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s presidency at the party’s historic Belagavi (then Belgaum) session in 1924.

 

Prominent Congress leaders, which include party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, members of the CWC, chief ministers, and state unit presidents, will convene for a discussion of ‘short and medium-term action plans’ of the party.

 

The first day’s session will be held at Veera Soudha, the venue of the 1924 Congress meeting, while on the second day, the unveiling of a Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Karnataka state assembly, Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, will be held. The statue is a tribute sanctioned by the Karnataka government.

 

 

The Congress party will also organise a rally in Belagavi named ‘Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan’ to be addressed by Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and state Congress chief DK Shivakumar, among others.

Historical context of Belgaum session

The ‘Belgaum’ session of 1924, led by Mahatma Gandhi, marked a pivotal moment when he outlined his vision for non-violence, communal harmony, and swaraj (self-rule), shaping India’s future freedom movement.

 

The people of Belgaum invited Gandhiji shortly after his return from South Africa to attend the Home Rule League’s first session, where he would share the stage with leaders like Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak. However, some Congress leaders opposed the visit, wary of an independent faction within the party.

 

However, Gangadhar Rao Deshpande, a veteran Congress leader and Khadi activist, in 1916, one of the four general secretaries of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and a native of Hudali in Belgaum district, supported Gandhiji’s visit. He wrote to him, prompting the famous reply. That marked Gandhiji’s first visit to Belgaum.

 

“Only death can prevent me from visiting Belgaum,” Mahatma Gandhi wrote in a letter to Deshpande. 

 

However, in 1924, Gandhiji hesitated to visit Belgaum, believing his efforts would be better spent addressing the unrest in riot-stricken regions of North India. Yet, the organisers succeeded in persuading him to attend.

 

The session became significant, as Gandhiji’s chairmanship led to important changes in both the organisational structure and functioning of the Congress party. To celebrate and remember that ‘Belgaum’ session, Congress is extending its working committee’s session by two days.  

What's on agenda in Belagavi?

The meeting comes at a time when the Congress and its state units have launched an all-out attack against the BJP over Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on BR Ambedkar in Parliament. The issue will be among the top agendas of the meet, as party is going to launch a 'Jai Bapu-Jai Bhim-Jai Sanvidhan' rally n Friday morning in Belagavi.

 

According to senior party leader KC Venugopal, the CWC meeting will discuss the action plan of the Congress party for the next year and adopt two resolutions.

 

Besides, the CWC meet is important for the Congress to devise a medium-term action plan, given its electoral setbacks in Maharastra and Haryana. 

 

"We are hopeful that it makes some important functional changes and gets back to winning ways,” a Congress leader told The Indian Express.

   

Political counterpoint

While the Congress is set to celebrate that historical event, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has been strategising to counter opposition criticism over issues of the Constitution and Dr BR Ambedkar’s legacy. NDA leaders met at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J P Nadda’s residence on Wednesday to present a united front against the opposition narrative. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) stressed coordination among the NDA members, drawing lessons from the opposition bloc’s recent strategies.