Addressing a public rally in Belgaum, Karnataka, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said, Congress party and Belgaum's relationship goes back to 1924 when Mahatma Gandhi came here. People of Belgaum, he said, fought against the British rule.

'Karnataka is a state,' he said, 'which has progressed at a fast pace.'
'The state has made great progress in the field of Information Technology. How did this happen? It happened because of the hard-work and determination of the people of Karnataka.'

Dressed in the traditional headgear, Rahul Gandhi said, 'Congress party has been very much a part of this progress. For the last 60-70 years, the Congress party has been working with the people of Karnataka to bring about progress. I will give you a few examples. First, we set up institutions like HAL, BHEL and laid down the infrastructure for science and technology to blossom in the state.'

'Then Congress party fought for the rights of the poor. When our CM Devraj ji was there, he worked to uplift the poor, dalits and backward sections. The foundation for Karnataka's progress was laid down in those years under the 20-point and Garibi Hatao programs.'.