Congress govt's two-year celebration likely in Vijayanagara on May 20
Mysuru/Bengaluru, May 12 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday indicated that the Congress government’s event in the Vijayanagara district to mark two years of the party in power is likely to be held on May 20.
He said his government had walked the talk by fulfilling the promise it had made to the people of the state.
The Cabinet on Friday decided to indefinitely postpone the government’s event marking two years, in the view of the military conflict between India and Pakistan.
"We want to do it (celebration event), because when we decided in the Cabinet to postpone it, the ceasefire was not yet announced," Siddaramaiah said in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, he said Congress general secretaries Randeep Singh Surjewala and K C Venugopal have already communicated to party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi about the postponement.
"They (Surejewala and Venugopal) will now check with them (Kharge and Gandhi) and let us know. We want to organise the event, " he added.
Responding to a question as to how he rates his government's performance, Siddaramaiah said, "If there is any government that has walked the talk, it is our government. We have performed as promised."
Not wanting to respond to a question if the cabinet reshuffle was on the cards, the CM said the media will be informed when it is done.
To mark the second anniversary of its rule, the Congress government is planning to distribute one lakh title deeds to eligible beneficiaries, whose "undocumented habitations" have been declared as revenue villages, during the event.
Earlier, speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress chief D K Shivakumar too said preparations are being initiated to organise an event at Vijayanagara on May 20.
"We had decided to postpone it considering the situation at the border, but now with the ceasefire in place, we want to do it," he said.
All district in-charge ministers have been asked to visit assembly segments and to hold meetings with officers and party karyakartas separately there. The government also plans to distribute one lakh title deeds to eligible beneficiaries during the two year's celebrations, as committed in the manifesto, he said.
"Congress party leadership will also be invited for the event," Shivakumar added.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
