Mangalore : Seva Dal activists, led by Haji M. H. Ashraf T, the President of Akhila Bharatha Congress Seva Dal to Seva Dal founder Narayana Subbarao Hardekar on his birth anniversary at District Congress office on Monday, May 7.

The members of the Seva Dal and the Congress party garlanded the portrait of Narayan Subbarao Hardikar on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, he recalled the services of Hardekar, who under the influence of Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai formed the Seva Dal at the Kakinada session of the Indian National Congress in 1923. Seva Dal was formed to create an organisation of disciplined and trained youth of strong character to spearhead the freedom struggle.

Hardekar was elected twice to the Rajya Sabha between 1952 and 1962. Hardekar was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1958, he said

Shashidhar Hegde said on the occasion that the Seva Dal is the main wing of the Congress and can be considered as the Congress’s other name. Stating that the Congress aims at strengthening its Seva Dal, he said that the discipline and patriotic fervor of the members of the Seva Dal will protect the country.