'Deve Gowda wanted someone trustworthy, forced me to become finance minister: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: In a parallel universe, a 46-year-old Siddaramaiah would be revenue minister in the H D Deve Gowda administration in 1994.

In this alternate history, Siddaramaiah does not become the finance minister, and holds no record of presenting 17 budgets.

Cut to reality, Siddaramaiah, now 77, presented his record 17th budget as the finance minister last week.

Segueing to the past during a discussion on the 2026-27 Budget on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah told the Assembly how he got his first job as the finance minister, a story that also captured his relationship with Gowda, once his political guru before they soured.

Siddaramaiah’s prompt came from Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka, who recalled the criticism that Gowda had picked “a shepherd who can’t count sheep” as his finance minister.

“In 1994, the ministry was decided at RL Jalappa’s guesthouse in Kolar. Gowda, Jalappa, PGR Sindhia and I were there,” Siddaramaiah said.

“I wanted the revenue department. But Jalappa wanted that portfolio, and Gowda agreed. Gowda asked me to become the finance minister. I said no. Gowda said he wanted someone trustworthy, so he insisted. I also insisted that I had no background or training in economics,” Siddaramaiah said. “Gowda forced me to take up finance.”

Siddaramaiah presented his first budget in 1994-95 as the finance minister.

In 2005, Gowda expelled Siddaramaiah from the JD(S) for ‘anti-party’ activities. Siddaramaiah later joined Congress and is now serving his second term as the CM.

Ashoka said Gowda must have had foresight. “If you hadn’t become the finance minister then, you’d not have created this record of 17 budgets,” he told Siddaramaiah. “At least for that, you should thank Gowda.”