Karnataka gearing up to celebrate 60th year of Assembly

Five persons, who were members of the first Mysore State Assembly in 1952, have been invited to the celebrations during which they would also be felicitated, Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs S Suresh Kumar told reporters.

The former MLAs Ambadas Rao, U M Madappa, T G Thimmegowda, Mulka Govindareddy and Basanthrao Patil would be honoured to mark the occasion, Kumar said.

An exhibition displaying rare photos of the construction of Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat, visit by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and address to the House by Raj Pramukh Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar would be declared open tomorrow by Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda.

Former chief ministers M Veerappa Moily, N Dharam Singh, H D Kumaraswamy and B S Yeddyurappa will attend the event, while S M Krishna has expressed inability as he is abroad on an official visit, they said.

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, who was state chief minister during 1994-1996, has also written to the Speaker expressing his inability to participate.

Governor H R Bhardwaj will inaugurate the event and former Chief Justice of Supreme Court M N Venkatachalaiah will address the gathering, Kumar said.