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Chief Minister Siddaramaiah defended his record of service to the Kuruba community and other marginalized groups, while attending an event of the community on Tuesday, November 12. The event saw attendance of political leaders cutting across parties. Former minister and BJP leader Varthur Prakash urged the gathering to rise up if “anything happened” to Siddaramaiah in an apparent reference to a change of chief minister.
Siddaramaiah was speaking after laying the foundation stone for a new building of the Karnataka State Kuruba Sangha and its students’ hostel in Gandhinagar.
BJP leader Varthur Prakash urged the community to back Siddaramaiah. “If something happens, the entire Ahinda (minorities, Dalits and backward classes) must hit the streets," he said. "I also urge Siddaramaiah to see to it that his son becomes the CM,” he said.
Prakash’s remarks come at a time when there is intense speculation in the state over whether or not Siddaramaiah will complete his second term as chief minister or whether he will be replaced, either by state Congress chief DK Shivakumar or someone else after the Bihar elections.
Speaking during the inauguration, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said his “clear intention” had always been to ensure access to education and hostel facilities for Kuruba students.
“The ideology that divided society and created the caste system is that of the RSS, which is opposed to the working classes and oppressed communities. That is why I have always opposed the Sanatanist RSS, the caste system, and blind beliefs,” Siddaramaiah said.
He claimed that he was instrumental in setting up the Kaginele Peetha which was envisioned to be a seat for all the oppressed sections of society.
He noted that the Sangha had long demanded demolition of its old 100-year-old building and construction of a new one. The new building will be completed within 18 months without compromising on quality, he said.
Recalling his long association with the community, Siddaramaiah said many who studied in the old hostel went on to become judges and senior officials. “When I was Transport Minister in 1988, we celebrated the 500th birth anniversary of Kanakadasa and decided to establish a Guru Peetha for the community. The association was under a Rs 3 crore debt then, and it was I who freed it from that burden. That is history,” he said.
The Chief Minister also credited his teachers and mentors for shaping his path. He recalled a teacher named Rajappa Master who directly admitted him to the fifth standard without whom he would not have become either a lawyer or chief minister. He attributed his entry into politics to Prof Nanjundaswamy, one of the founders of the farmers’ movement in the state.
“If I had not entered politics, the Kuruba Sangha’s building and the Kaginele Peetha would not have survived. We could not have saved community lands and temples from real estate goons,” he said.
Siddaramaiah said the government has initiated the construction of 600 Kuruba community halls across Karnataka and that he helped secure land and buildings for the Sangha in several districts, including Mysuru, Hubballi, Shivamogga, and Davanagere. “I was the one who established the Sangolli Rayanna Sainik School and the Sangolli Rayanna Development Authority,” he said, adding that several community leaders such as Mukudappa, Shivanna, Masti, Siddalingaiah, and Naganna had supported these efforts.
Siddaramaiah said that his welfare measures were not limited to the Kuruba community alone and that he had worked for the welfare of all communities including backward classes, Dalits, and minorities. “The ‘Bhagya’ schemes introduced during my first term and the ‘Guarantee’ schemes in my second term as Chief Minister benefit the poor of all castes. My goal is to build an inclusive society where everyone progresses together.”
Siddaramaiah also spoke about facing threats in the past from Puttaswamy, an aide of infamous rowdy Kotwal Ramachandra, over Kuruba Sangha elections. He said that he fielded Mallappa from Davanagere who won the election against rowdy Puttaswamy.