33 co-padayatris of Rahul Gandhi pledge to donate eyes
Congress says inspiration was drawn from late Puneet Rajkumar
BENGALURU: Taking a cue from the families of organ donors, as many as 33 padayatris accompanying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Yatra pledged to donate their eyes on Wednesday. Those who pledged to donate eyes include Yathindra Siddaramaiah, son of Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Yathindra Siddaramaiah, an MLA representing the Varuna Assembly segment in Mysuru, pledged to donate his eyes with JSS Hospital, Mysuru. Among the other padayatris who pledged to donate their eyes include Sushrutha Hedna from Karnataka, Satyabarata Das from Odisha, Pramod Kumar from Delhi, Geetakrishnan from Kerala, Mathura Prasad from Uttar Pradesh and others.
A note from the Congress stated recalled the selfless gesture of late Puneeth Rajkumar to donate his eyes, which raised awareness among people about the importance of organ donation. The yatra on Wednesday highlighted the importance of organ donations.
Apart from the padayataris taking pledge to donate their eyes, organ donors families also walked with Rahul Gandhi to spread across a message of significance of organ donation.
Among the organ donor families include the family members of Rakshitha who died following head injuries. Rakhsitha was a graduate student and a resident of Kadur in Chikkamagaluru. Her parents Shekar Naik and Lakshmi Bai decided to donate her organs.
Another family which walked with Rahul Gandhi was that of Veda Manjunath, who died in an accident. Veda’s grandfather H.M. Mallikarjunappa was a freedom fighter and was elected to the Assembly.
The family of “Sanchari” Vijay was the other prominent organ donor family in Rahul’s yatra. Vijay had acted in 25 Kannada films and was awarded National Film Award for best actor for his portrayal of a transgender person. Vijay died in an accident and his family members donated his organs.