Mysuru: Lamenting the change in the ideological position of the Congress, nonagenarian freedom fighter HS Doreswamy on Saturday said that, while Congress of yore had been a champion of the poor and downtrodden, the party was now ignoring the underprivileged and allowing the rich to thrive.Doreswamy, who was at a seminar on ‘The role of HC Dasappa and Yashodara Dasappa in the formation of modern Karnataka’ organised by the Babu Jagjivan Ram research and extension centre at Gandhi Bhavan, expressed dismay over the Gandhi centres spread across the country losing their importance. “There is no life left in any of the Gandhi centres in the country. They are slowly becoming redundant,” he said.Describing Dasappa and Yasahodara as a ‘rare tribe’ of people, Doreswamy said, “Dasappa was initially a state minister, before he moved to the Centre. He went on to head the Indian Railways, during which period he worked for Karnataka’s interest.”Women like Yashodara, Doresamy went on to add, were hard to find. “Yashodara was extremely committed to her work. If we had ministers like Yashodara today, things would be better,” he said.Notwithstanding the many periods of abject poverty he faced, Dasappa gave himself wholly to social work, said Doreswamy. “His wife, Yashodara was his pillar of strength, and the two of them played a role in each other’s growth,” he added.Expressing disappointment with the prevailing conditions in the society, Doreswamy said, “We are living in an age when a mother kills her children, and then herself. This is an indication that the society is in a shambles. Goonda Raj will be established if this continues. Although 70 years have passed since India attained independence, the poor remain poor.”Meanwhile, MLA Vasu , who was also present at the seminar, applauded the foresightedness that the Wadiyars of Mysuru had shown in their planning of the city. “The Wadiyars established Maharani’s College, which recently celebrated its centenary. Their farsightedness and foresight is something modern day administrators lack,” he said.The legislator also highlighted the need to disseminate information about eminent personalities who had contributed to the nation-building process. “We celebrate jayantis, and forget about the people. We need to delve deeper, and know what made them great,” he said.****BOXMLA Vasu refused to don the Gandhi cap at the inaugural ceremony of the seminar on Dasappa and Yashodara. “I am not worthy of wearing a Gandhi topi since I have been a mute spectator to many political irregularities in my career,” he said.An ‘election’ budgetDoreswamy called the budget tabled by chief minister Siddaramaiah an election’ budget.

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