KARNATAKA state committee of CITU kick-started the preparations for hosting the 17th all India conference of CITU at Bengaluru on January 18-22, 2023, with the formation of a reception committee meeting on July 5, 2022, at the Secretariat Club, Bengaluru. CITU president, K Hemalata, inaugurated the meeting in which she placed the present situation in which the conference will be held. The meeting was presided by the CITU state president, S Varalakshmi. The meeting was attended by several union leaders along with renowned artists, musicians, writers, poets, scientists, social activists and leaders of various mass organisations.

The CITU state secretary, Meenakshi Sundaram, placed the budget and the proposals for the reception committee and the meeting unanimously endorsed the proposals. The meeting witnessed the resolve of the comrades to make the conference a success in a befitting way by handing over an on-the-spot contribution of Rs 3.07 lakh and promising of collecting the required amount for the conference.

The renowned music director, Hamsalekha announced that he shall contribute his one-day earnings from a TV reality show towards conference funds. Several others and unions announced that they shall be contributing one-day earnings of the members to the conference funds. BSNLEU leaders also announced their contributions personally along with collecting the contributions from their members. AIIEA, BEFI, AKSGEF and other fraternal union leaders were also present.   

Music director, Hamsalekha, writer, S G Siddaramaiah, poetess, Vasundara Bhoopathi, R Poornima, social activist, S R Hiremat, senior labour advocate, K Subbarao,  AIIEA former president, Amanullah Khan, AIKS leader,  G C Bayyareddy, AIAWU leader, G N Nagaraj addressed the meeting. Scientist, S Chatterjee, senior leader, V J K Nair, CPI (M) state secretary, U  Basavaraj and several other leaders of SFI, DYFI, DHS and AIDWA were also present on the dais.

CITU Bengaluru south district general secretary, B N Manjunath welcomed the gathering; north district secretary,  P Muniraju rendered the vote of thanks, and state secretary, K Mahantesh compared the proceedings. K S Lakshmi, H S Sunanda, Lingaraju and others sang the songs.

The meeting decided to constitute more than 27 sub-committees to make necessary arrangements and to take the message of the conferences to the workers and the people of the state. The meeting decided to take the slogan “Unite and Fight for Pro People Policies” of the conference to every household and worker to defeat the neo-liberal policies and divisive communal forces upholding class unity.

 The meeting elected K Subba Rao, as honorary president, Amanullah Khan as president, S Varalakshmi as working president, Meenakshi Sundaram as general secretary, and P  Parameshwar as the treasurer of the committee.