Lok Sabha member from Kalaburagi Umesh Jadhav has stated that the Union government is making significant efforts to designate the Koli/Kabbaliga community as Scheduled Tribes (STs) in recognition of their backward status. Jadhav urged for bipartisan support in the development of backward communities and urged everyone to benefit from reservation opportunities. He made these remarks during the celebration of the birth anniversary of Nijasharana Ambigara Chowdayya in Kalaburagi on Sunday. The event was jointly organized by several authorities including the district administration, the Department of Kannada and Culture, the Kalaburagi City Corporation, and the Kalaburagi Zilla Panchayat.
Koli community leader Tippannappa Kamaknur mentioned the ongoing progress in installing a statue of Ambigara Chowdayya next to Mahatma Gandhi’s statue on the Town Hall premises. He added that the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister and Kalaburagi in-charge Priyank Kharge has promised to erect the statue and that the City Municipal Council has allocated ₹20 lakh for the purpose. Kamaknur also expressed delight at the State government’s acceptance of their demand for installing an Ambigara Chowdayya statue near the statues of Kempegowda and Basavanna on the premises of the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.
Furthermore, Kamaknur disclosed the community’s plan to request the declaration of Ambigara Chowdayya as a cultural leader of Kalyana Karnataka, similar to Basavanna’s recognition as the cultural leader of Karnataka. In a special lecture, scholar B.P. Siddashram praised Ambigara Chowdayya for his straightforwardness, admired by reformers such as Basavanna and Allamaprabhu.
Various community leaders and officials attended the celebration, including Mallannappa of Tonasanahalli Allamaprabhu Math, celebration committee president Hanumanthappa Budihal, Additional Deputy Commissioner Rayappa Hunsagi, Kalaburagi Urban Development Authority Commissioner Dayanand Patil, Assistant Director of Kannada and Culture Dattappa Saganur, and community leaders Rajagopal Reddy, Shivasharanappa Kobal, Devindrappa Byadihal, and Basavaraj Harwal. The event also featured a vibrant cultural procession on the city’s main streets.
