The flame of freedom struggle was also kept alive by a host of Congressmen of Karnataka like N.S.Hardikar, Srinivas Rao Kaujalgi, Gangadharrao Deshpande, Kadapa Raghavendra Rao, R.R.Diwakar, Krishna Rao Mudvedkar and others.

Between 19 national leaders like C.Rajagopalachari, C.R.Das, Lala Lajpat Rai, S.Srinivasa Iyengar, Pattabhi Seetharamiah, Jamnadas Mehta, Konda Venkatappiah and others toured all over Karnataka and kept the national spirit alive. The spread of Khadi and village industries was taken up all over Karnataka and organizations for Harijan welfare were set up in many places of the state. Karnataka responded positively to the call given by Gandhiji for constructive programmes. A number of session were also held at Belgaum on the occasion like the All-India Khilafat Conference, All-India Hindu Mahasabha Conference, All-India Non-Brahmin Conference, All-India Social Conference and also the first Karnataka Unification Conference, presided by Sir Siddappa Kambli. In his presidential address Gandhiji spoke on the necessity of Hindu-Muslim unity, boycott of foreign goods, encouraging spinning and weaving of Khadi, working towards eradication of untouchability and other issues. Great stalwarts of music like Veene Seshanna gave their recital and Huyilagola Narayana Rao sung the Kannada anthem ‘ Udayavagali namma cheluva Kannadanadu‘ at the session. All efforts were made to represent the culture and history of Karnataka at the session. Gandhiji was taken in a procession to the Congress camp. When Gandhiji along with the Ali brothers, Sarojini Naidu, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and a host of leaders arrived at Belgaum, they were welcomed by a mammoth crowd led by Gangadharrao Deshpande, the Chairman of the Reception Committee. Volunteers of Hindustan Seva Dal, trained by N.S.Hardikar were looking after the arrangements and attending the comforts of the visitors. To feed the participants, a huge kitchen was set up and thousands of lanterns and petromax light were brought from Bombay for lighting purpose. For the supply of water round the clock a tank, Pampa Sarovara was constructed. The huts for visitors and the delegates were built with Khadi and had bamboo roofs. The venue where the session was held, named Vijayanagara and the entrance gate was designed like the Gopura of the Virupaksha temple at Hampi. Removal of untouchability and spread of Chakra and Khadi were the other objectives.Ī Historic session: The Belgaum Congress session was a momentous event and the enthusiasm of the Kannadigas knew no bounds, as it was the only Congress session in which Gandhiji presided.

It was in this background that Gandhiji presided over the Belgaum session in December 1924 with the objective of restoring unity between Congressmen who were for Council entry and those against it and between Hindus and Muslims. The Congressmen were given freedom to decide for themselves either to work for the Council entry or to carry on the constructive work outside the Council. But the circumstances as they were, it was impossible for anybody to bring back the masses to an active non-cooperation and therefore as sort of compromise was reached. The Council entry programme of the Swarajists was not to the liking of Gandhiji. This was his desperate effort to solve the communal tangle. To expiate for the sins of his erring countrymen, Gandhiji undertook a fast of 21 days from September 18 to October 8. Thus with the passage of time the discord between the Hindus and the Muslims began to appear and communal riots occurred at regular intervals. The Muslim League eclipsed during the Khilafat agitation found a breathing space once again. With the abolition of Khilafat in Turkey, no inducement was left for majority of the Indian Muslims to cooperate with the Hindus. The Hindu-Muslim cooperation for which he had striven so zealously had nearly vanished. On February 5th 1924, Gandhiji was released from prison following an operation for appendicitis. Gandhiji and the Belgaum Congress session

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