BJP to lay siege to Suvarna Vidhana Soudha on Dec 9: Vijayendra
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra on Saturday said the party, along with a large number of farmers, will lay siege to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi on December 9 during the winter session of the state legislature.
He said the protest aims to highlight various issues concerning the state and the "failures" of the Congress government.
Vijayendra also said the opposition BJP and JD(S) have not discussed moving a no-confidence motion against the Siddaramaiah-led government during the session.
The winter session of the Karnataka legislature will be held in Belagavi from December 8 to 19.
"The winter session is starting in Belagavi from Monday. Leaders of the Opposition, BJP-JD(S) leaders and I have discussed in detail our strategy for the session—raising the concerns of the state, highlighting the failures of the Congress government, and discussing issues related to north Karnataka, irrigation and farmers," Vijayendra told reporters here.
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He said discussions on issues related to north Karnataka during the Belagavi session were usually held only "for name’s sake" and for a single day. "Taking it seriously this time, we have decided to take up issues concerning the region during the early days of the session," he added.
The BJP chief said sugarcane farmers’ issues remain unresolved, maize procurement has been poorly handled, and only 5 lakh metric tonnes of the total 54 lakh metric tonnes have been procured by the state government.
Procurement of green gram, black gram and paddy has also not begun, he said.
Pointing to delays in compensation to farmers, Vijayendra said, "With all these issues, the BJP plans to lay siege to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi by gathering about 15,000-20,000 farmers on December 9. We want to awaken this anti-farmer government from its deep slumber. We will raise these issues inside the Assembly, too."
Targeting the Congress government on corruption, he cited the MUDA scam, the Valmiki ST Development Corporation scam and allegations of 60 per cent commission by contractors. He said the Congress government "lacks the moral authority to speak about corruption."
Claiming that no development is taking place in the state and that the government has failed to support distressed farmers, he said the BJP and JD(S) would jointly raise these issues inside and outside the Assembly.
Asked whether the opposition planned to move a no-confidence motion, Vijayendra said nothing had been discussed so far. "It won’t be surprising if members of the ruling party themselves move a no-confidence motion against the government," he remarked.
He also criticised the government for delaying the implementation of a new education policy in the state after scrapping the National Education Policy. "We will raise these issues in the session," he said.
Belagavi, which borders Maharashtra, has hosted one legislature session a year since 2006.
The Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, modelled on Bengaluru’s Vidhana Soudha, was built as a declaration that Belagavi is an integral part of Karnataka.
Maharashtra continues to claim Belagavi and nearby areas as its own.
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India submits nomination of Meghalaya's living root bridges for UNESCO World Heritage site
Shillong (PTI): India has submitted to UNESCO in Paris the nomination dossier of Meghalaya's living root bridges for consideration to include in the World Heritage list 2026-27, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on Thursday.
The dossier was handed over by India's Ambassador Vishal V Sharma to UNESCO's World Heritage Centre Director Lazare Assomo Eloundou, a statement said.
"We are hopeful that the living root bridges will be inscribed this year, ensuring that the indigenous communities, the true guardians of this living heritage, receive the global recognition they so richly deserve," Sangma said on X.
While submitting the dossier, Sharma, the Permanent Representative to UNESCO, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the Meghalaya CM for their support to the nomination, the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO said in a statement.
Sharma also acknowledged the role of Meghalaya Principal Secretary Frederick Kharkongor, officers of the Archaeological Survey of India, the Ministry of External Affairs, experts and the local communities in safeguarding the property and preparing the nomination.
Located across the southern slopes of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills of the northeastern state, the nominated property represents a living cultural landscape shaped over centuries by indigenous Khasi and Jaintia communities.
"The landscape reflects a deep-rooted and harmonious relationship between people, nature and spirituality, embodied in traditional systems of land use, governance and ecological stewardship," the statement said.
The indigenous worldview underpinning the cultural landscape is anchored in principles of respect, reciprocity and responsibility towards Mei Ramew (Mother Earth), it said.
"The submission of this nomination underscores India's commitment to recognising and preserving living cultural traditions and indigenous knowledge systems, and to advancing global heritage conservation efforts through UNESCO," the statement added.
