From a seven-year-old boy to a 43-year-old farmer, they are full of praise for CM Siddaramaiah for the work he has done for their village and constituency.
Bengaluru: At Siddaramanahundi village, located 20 km from Mysuru in Karnataka, the very mention of the name ‘Siddaramaiah’ could elicit a response from as many as 39 people who share their names with the state’s chief minister.
Meet seven-year-old Siddaramaiah, who has made the CM his idol — all because the latter belongs to his village.
The little Sidda is in awe of what the 69-year-old chief minister has done for his village that is named after a local deity.
“I will become a chief minister too,” he said flashing a toothy grin. The village comes under the Varuna assembly constituency from where Siddaramaiah won five of the seven elections he has contested so far.
However, this time around, the CM will contest from Chamundeshwari constituency from where he first fought and won as an independent candidate in the 1983 assembly polls.
Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra is likely to make his electoral debut from the Varuana seat in the12 May assembly election although the Congress has not officially released its list of candidates.
“He is our Siddaramaiah. He is our future CM,” said one of his closest friends, Praveen.
“He (the CM) has given us books, cycles, food. He is also building a school for us,” said another young supporter of the present CM.
“He also gave computers to many of us and gifted the village a carrom board. We like him a lot,” the child added.
The 69-year-old Congress leader was the first graduate from his village. He has now become an inspiration for other Siddaramaiahs to obtain a degree and make their village proud.
A man from a humble background
It is the same kind of trust and affection that the chief minister enjoys in this quaint village where his two younger brothers — Siddegowda and Ramegowda — lead a simple life with their cattle and farmlands. It does not matter to them that their brother is the chief minister of the state. They have a simple statement to make: We love our brother.
His father saved every single penny he could earn to get Siddaramaiah to study and, finally, become a lawyer. It was by chance that Prof. M.D. Nanjundaswamy, a lawyer-turned-leader of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, a farmers’ outfit, saw talent in this young man from Siddaramanahundi.
His brother Siddegowda believes that Siddaramanna, as the CM is affectionately called by friends and admirers, has done well. “He has done a lot for the people,” he said.
Not just his village, but the people from the entire constituency hold him in high esteem, praising his efforts to develop the state.
Another villager, Siddaramaiah Gowda, 43, who owns a three-acre farmland near the chief minister’s ancestral property, said he is proud that a man from his village has made the area famous.
“Other politicians are no match for our CM as he has worked hard to get to that position. He should ensure that his legacy continues,” said Gowda.
But, there are many in the Varuna constituency who believe that since it is likely to be Siddaramaiah’s last election, he should have returned to his old constituency instead of going back to Chamundeshwari.
The unhappy lot
There are also people who feel the CM did not provide adequate facilities to the people.
“Where is the bhagya (luck) in Krishi Bhagya scheme? It is only for those who have more than two acres of land, I don’t have that much and I can’t avail it,” said 21-year-old Siddaramaiah.
“I am a graduate and I don’t have a job. Can’t he (the CM) help us out,” he added.
Another resident, Varun, said that the village has always backed his candidature. “But this time we are disillusioned, he (the CM) could have done more for farmers,” he said.
“We feel that the JD(S) may do something for us since they are pro-farmers. In the past three years, we have no water and our crops are failing,” he added.
For Siddaramaiah, who began his career as a lawyer, the real challenge is how to argue his case well before his voters in the run-up to the 12 May election so that, as the CM said, he could “teach his opponents a lesson”.