‘CM’s chair remained elusive for many veteran leaders but Siddaramaiah was lucky’

Mysuru: Former Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly K.R. Ramesh Kumar has said that Siddaramaiah had the rare opportunity to become the Chief Minister, a position that remained elusive for several top leaders from this region despite their political influence.

He was speaking at the 79th birthday celebrations of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, titled ‘Sri Siddaramaiah-79: The Political March’, organised at the City Congress Office yesterday.

Recalling the political history of the State, Ramesh Kumar said veteran leaders such as Tulasidas Dasappa, former Mysore Lok Sabha MP and Union Minister of State and N. Rachaiah, former Minister, were among those who aspired to become Chief Minister, but fate did not favour them.

Dasappa, who was considered close to then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, had free access to her residence, with nobody daring to stop him at the door. Even Indira Gandhi would greet him respectfully and address him as ‘Dasappaji’. Yet, the Chief Minister’s post remained an unfulfilled dream for the veteran leader, he said.

The Congress split in 1969 due to internal differences, with D. Devaraj Urs heading the faction that remained. Urs later became Chief Minister but had to face several challenges during his political career. The community to which he belonged was numerically small and could not provide him with a strong support base, Ramesh Kumar said.

“In Siddaramaiah’s case, he walked into a readily built house and got the opportunity to become Chief Minister, a position that none of the other leaders could reach,” he said.

Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader, former MLA G.N. Nanjunda Swamy, Karnataka Exhibition Authority Chairman Ayub Khan, former KEA Chairman Abdul Azeez (Abdulla), City Congress President R. Murthy, District Congress President Dr. B.J. Vijaykumar, former CM’s Media Advisor K.V. Prabhakar and others were present.