Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during the inauguration of the renovated Sri Annadaneshwara Swamy temple at Allapattana, in Srirangapatna taluk, Mandya district, on Friday.
Credit: DH Photo
Mysuru: The two events - attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in a span of just 11 days, in Mandya district - give an impression that he has been agreeing to be a part of temple programmes, of late.
CM Siddaramaiah inaugurated Sri Huchchappa Swamy temple and Hadinalku Kootada Devarugala Jatra Mahotsava, that was conducted after 39 years, in Nagamangala taluk, Mandya district, on April 22. Similarly, the CM inaugurated Sri Annadaneshwara Swamy temple at Allapattana village, Srirangapatna taluk, Mandya district, on Friday (May 2).
Siddaramaiah often projects himself as a rationalist. But has also been asserting that he is a believer. He said, “I have Rama in my name. I am Siddarama. I am Siddaramaiah,” a couple of times earlier.
A senior Congress leader said, while Siddaramaiah’s well-wishers project him to be an atheist, he is often trolled as ‘anti-Hindu’, ‘pro-minorities’, ‘pro-Muslims’ and ‘Siddaramulla Khan’ by his detractors.
“However, both Nagamangala and Srirangapatna events were not a part of any strategy. They just happened, because the MLAs – Minister N Chaluvaraswamy and CESC Chairman Ramesh Babu Bandisiddegowda - of the respective segments are close to the CM. But, Siddaramaiah should take advantage of the events, to defend himself against the trolls,” he said.
It can be recalled that earlier, on January 22, 2024, when the 'Praana Prathishtapana' of Ayodhya Shri Rama Lalla was done, Siddaramaiah was busy with the preparation of the 2024-25 budget, yet he participated in the inauguration of a Ram temple in Mahadevapura of Bengaluru.
Then, he said, “We worship Gandhi's Rama, not BJP’s Rama”. Siddaramaiah even chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and made the crowd say it aloud. “This slogan isn’t someone’s property,” he said.
“The entire nation worships Sri Ramachandra. In my village, I funded the construction of a Rama temple. I used to participate in bhajans in my village during Dhanurmasa. But, no God wants to be loved excessively. Basavanna said there’s God within us. That’s why Basavanna said that our body is a temple. God won’t be pleased, if worship is ‘melodramatic’,” he had said.
M G Mahesh, BJP state spokesman, said, “It looks like the CM’s wife has been pushing him to temples of late. Sources said, she is pained with the alleged MUDA scam and other issues over the past couple of years. Sri Annadaneshwara Swamy of Allapattana is their family deity and Siddaramaiah might have funded its renovation also”.