“We are committed to working towards realising the dream of Basavanna and other sharanas,”‘ Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said at Muddebihal in Vijayapura district on Friday.
“I am a follower of Basavanna and other sharanas. I strong believe in their ideology of an equal society without discrimination. The sharanas changed the world in many ways. They fought against blind beliefs, regressive rituals, social evils, and discrimination based on caste, class, and gender. They spread the ideology through their vachanas and practised what they preached. That is why I am their follower,” he said.
“The State government declaring Basavanna as the cultural ambassador of Karnataka was neither hypocritical nor a political move. It was done because we believe in the ideals preached by them [sharanas],’‘ he said.
“Now that you have blessed us with a majority seats, we are working towards creating an equal society by fighting discrimination,” he said, after launching several development works and infrastructure projects in the constituency. He also interacted with beneficiaries of various guarantee schemes.
“Some BJP leaders are spreading lies only to gain power. I appeal to you not to fall prey to it. We have acted according to the Vachana ideologies in the past and will do so in future,” he said.
He dismissed the claim by BJP leaders that the implementation of the guarantee schemes had made the exchequer empty. “Our guarantees are forerunners of the Universal Basic income concept implemented in European countries. They have supported the large portion of the population that is suffering from price rise and unemployment, due to the wrong policies of the BJP government at the Centre. The guarantees are reaching 4.5 crore people. No State government in the past had done so much,” the Chief Minister claimed.
“Before the 2023 Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself said that the Congress would not be able to implement the guarantees as it would lead to economic ruin, but we proved him wrong. We have implemented all our guarantees, while maintaining the health of the State’s economy,” he said.
Ministers Shivanand Patil and M.B. Patil, C.S. Nadagouda, MLA, Legislative Council Chief Whip Prakash Rathod, Hanumant Nirani and Sunilgouda Patil, MLCs, KPCC leader Kanta Nayak, DCC leader Vidyarani Tungal and others were present.
