Sangolli Rayanna Utsav, an event held in Belagavi district to honor Sangolli Rayanna, a freedom fighter from 19th century Karnataka.
MLA Mahantesh Kaujalgi inaugurated this event in the absence of the local ministers and senior officials from the Belagavi district, Karnataka.
In August 2024, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the statue of Sangolli Rayanna at the four different locations of the Belagavi district.
During the recent inauguration of Sangolli Rayanna Utsav on Sunday night, there are reports that the event did not have the presence of any local ministers and senior officials, including the Deputy Commissioner (DC), the Zilla Panchayat , Chief Minister Officer (ZP CEO), and Superintendent of Police (SP).
Apart from divisional and taluk level officers, no senior officials participated in the Utsav.
“Ministers Satish Jarkiholi and Shivaraj Tangadagi were occupied with the CLP meeting in Bengaluru, and minister Laxmi Hebbalkar was attending the Press Club felicitation ceremony”, MLA Mahantesh Kaujalgi stated.
According to the villagers, the crowd for the Sangolli Rayanna Utsav was noticeably too smaller than expected.
The villagers of Sangolli expressed their disappointment and dissatisfaction regarding the absence of many representatives during the inauguration of the Sangolli Rayana Utsav, and event of significant cultural and historical importance to the local community.
Girimallappa, a participant from Baihongal expressed his views on the Utsav, stating that Rs 1 crore is being spent on the utsav this time. The event should have been held in the grand manner, he stated.
BJP activists expressed their frustrations, by saying the portraits of politicians were disproportionately larger than that of Rayanna himself.
They also looked forward to know whether the event was Rayanna Utsav, meant to honor the legacy of Sangolli Rayanna or merely serve as a platform for a political promotion.