Mysureans are disappointed at the President making no mention of their city while addresssing the joint legislature session in Bengaluru on Wednesday to mark the 60th year of the iconic Vidhana Soudha. They believe Mysuru deserved a mention as it was the first Indian state in pre-independence times to have a Representative Assembly way back in 1881.
Prof P V Najnaraje Urs, a noted historian and an authority on the Wadiyar dynasty, is especially upset at the omission, pointing out that Mysuru maharajas, Krishna Raja Wadiyar-X and Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar established the Representative Assembly and Legislative Council to involve people from various walks of life in majorMysuru.
"At that time the Assembly had around 60 to 70 members from various strata of society, who debated issues in English. Later, Nalvadi insisted on the discussion being in Kannada to help people understand the proceedings. While some were nominated to the Council in recognition of their services to society, others were elected from among the people," he recalled, adding that the maharaja himself arrived in a horse driven 'sarotu' escorted by soldiers to chair the Assembly.
"I don't expect the office of the President to know the history of the country's first Representative Assembly, but the Karnataka government should have given them these details to help him mention them in his speech, " he said.
The professor recalled that after Nalvadi Krishna Raja Wadiyar took over the reins, the Representative Assembly was enlarged and became bicameral in 1907.
