With the State Cabinet taking a decision, the long-pending demand of the people of Yadgir district to have a memorial for veteran leader and former Rajya Sabha member Kollur Mallappa will soon be fulfilled.
On earlier occasions, veteran politician and Rajya Sabha MP M. Mallikarjun Kharge, who has great admiration for Mallappa for his selfless service to the people over several decades, had appealed to the Chief Minister to build a memorial for Mallappa.
However, the proposed memorial work was somehow delayed.
Meanwhile, Minister for Small Scale Industries and district in-charge Sharanabasappa Darshanapur met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and requested him to grant the required land free for the purpose.
The Chief Minister, who earmarked ₹2 crore for the memorial, showed concern over building the memorial for the late politician during the recent Cabinet meeting and sanctioned 2.17 acres of land free as requested by Mr. Darshanapur.
Mallappa was born to a Kuruba (Halumatha) community family in 1905 in Pogalapur village in Yadgir taluk. He developed patriotism from his childhood and met Mahatma Gandhi at Sabarmati Ashram in 1934. He was deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and joined the Congress then.
He also participated in the freedom movement against British rule and came in contact with Jawaharlal Nehru during Congress meeting at Mumbai in 1942 as he was the only politician from the Hyderabad Karnataka region to take part in that conference. He was known in the region for his fearless fight against Hyderabad Nizams and for that reason, he was jailed.
After Independence, Mallappa was elected as a legislator from the Surpur Assembly Constituency in Kalaburagi district to the Hyderabad State Assembly in 1952. He was again elected from the Sedam Assembly Constituency to the Mysore State Assembly in 1957, after reorganisation of States.
Mallappa shifted to Central politics after the former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi got him elected to the Rajya Sabha. He, then, was elected thrice in 1968, 1974 and 1984. He was associated with many prominent Congress leaders of that era.
Some of his followers say that Mallappa respectfully refused an offer given by Indira Gandhi to become Chief Minister of the State. Mallappa died in 2004, after a prolonged illness.
The people of Yadgir district have expressed gratitude to the State government, especially Mr. Siddaramaiah, for respecting the Hyderabad-Karnataka Gandhi by building a memorial for Mallappa.
Mr. Darshanapur, who wrote a letter to the Chief Minister and put pressure on the government to get sanctioned the required land for the memorial, has expressed his gratitude too.
“I will personally supervise the building of a memorial to make it a significant landmark in the district. I will take a delegation to meet the Chief Minister for an additional grant, if required, for the construction of a memorial,” the Minister added.
Meanwhile, MLA Channareddy Patil Tunnur has thanked Mr. Siddaramaiah for his concern to building a memorial for Mallappa. “His selfless service to the people is unparalleled. He remains a model for all politicians,” Mr. Tunnur said.
Published – June 08, 2025 07:12 pm IST
