Siddu's philosophy against superstitions

Five months after the elections, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah attended a meet at Biligere village of Varuna constituency, to ‘thank’ party workers and voters for electing him in the elections

.

In his address, Siddaramaiah delineated the accomplishments of the State government during his short tenure and philosophised against the practice of superstition.

All irrigation projects which have remained incomplete in Cauvery, Krishna and other river banks in the State will be completed in the next five years, he said.

While parts of the State have suffered rain related damages, some taluks are suffering a drought. Loss of coconut and arecanut plantations and outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) have also been reported in the State, he said. Relief for FMD has already been announced, he added.

“I haven’t dismissed the existence of God entirely. I do go to temples. However, I have not made visits to temples my occupation,” he said taking a jibe chief ministers of the previous government. “My opponents had organised a ‘homa’ for thirty days, praying that I would not win the by-elections. An astrologer during the same time, predicted that I would come third in the constituency. However, I won by 257 votes,” he said, dismissing meaningless rituals and astrology.

Caste system

On the prevalence of caste system in society, he evoked the contributions of sharanas like Basavanna, who wanted to rid the society of caste, creed and superstitions. However, such practices has remained in society. Despite efforts to change the system, society has hung on to such practices, he said.

Due to such superstitions, discriminations have continued in society. Progress can be expedited if such practices are stopped, he said.

On his recent visit to Chamarajanagar, he said that he was advised against visiting the district. “There are no ghosts in Chamarajanagar. The district is similar to any other district in the State,” he said.

“In the last few years, voters are being lured by bribes. In this election too such incidents occurred. However, we were able to suppress it. Despite several speculations about my victory, the victory margin was beyond my expectations,” he added. Though this meet was to be organised as soon as the elections were over, it could not materialise due to various reasons, he added.