7th anniversary: Karnataka Congress to build sports training centre in memory of Kripesh and Sarath Lal in Periya
The two Youth Congress workers were hacked to death on February 17, 2019, in Kalliyot.
The two Youth Congress workers were hacked to death on February 17, 2019, in Kalliyot.
The two Youth Congress workers were hacked to death on February 17, 2019, in Kalliyot.
Kasaragod: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said the Karnataka Congress will entirely fund the construction of an arts, sports and cultural training centre in memory of slain Youth Congress workers Sarath Lal P K and Kripesh at Kalliyot in Periya.
He was speaking at the seventh memorial programme of the two Youth Congress workers at Kalliyot on Tuesday. Last year, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar attended the event as the chief guest and donated ₹25 lakh in his personal capacity for the project. The amount was used to purchase 13 cents of land at Kalliyot, Kasaragod MP Rajmohan Unnithan said.
Parameshwara said the Karnataka Congress would now take up funding for the entire project. “I do not know the total estimate, but the Karnataka Congress will fund it fully. It will send a message not just to Kerala but also to the youth of Karnataka, because Sarath Lal and Kripesh sacrificed their lives for the Congress ideology,” he said. “Do not waste any more time; it is already seven years late,” he said.
Congress leaders said the groundbreaking ceremony would be held soon.
The proposed centre is being planned as a tribute to the two young men, who were active in arts and cultural activities, including solo and group performances and drama. The two-storey facility would train children in arts and sports, reflecting their interests and involvement in cultural programmes such as chenda melam performances, said Congress leaders.
Sarath Lal and Kripesh were hacked to death on February 17, 2019, in Kalliyot. In 2023, a CBI court sentenced 10 CPM workers, including a local committee member, to double life imprisonment. Four others, including former MLA K V Kunhiraman and former Kanhangad block panchayat president K Manikandan, were sentenced to five years in prison for forcibly freeing an accused from police custody.
Parameshwara also urged the Congress workers to remain united and work collectively to ensure the party’s victory in the upcoming Assembly election. He recalled being in Kerala during the 2021 Assembly election campaign and said he had sensed that the UDF would not win. “When I shared that assessment with Congress leaders in Kerala, they called me mad. But this time, I am predicting, and hoping, that the Congress will come to power,” he said.
Calling for discipline within the ranks, he asked workers to “sacrifice, adjust and compromise” for the larger goal. The decision on who should be Chief Minister, he said, must be left to the party high command. “First, bring the party to power. Whoever the high command chooses as Chief Minister, we will all accept,” Parameshwara said.