If I had stayed in JD(S) I would never have become Chief Minister: Siddaramaiah
Chamarajanagar: “If I had remained in the Janata Dal (Secular), I would not have become Chief Minister,” stated Siddaramaiah on Thursday after inaugurating the 72nd All India Cooperative Week and delivering the valedictory address. CM Siddaramaiah further stated, “Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and his sons would not have allowed me to become Chief Minister.”
“Senior leader G.T. Deve Gowda, who has been part of the cooperative movement, is still in the JD(S), but he is in my favour. Until 2006, G.T. Deve Gowda was with me. After I was expelled from the JD(S), he stayed back. Now, in a way, he’s back with us again,” he said.
CM Siddaramaiah further stated that when he presented his first budget, people mocked him, stating that he “doesn’t know how to count sheep” as he hailed from the shepherd community. “I took it as a challenge that ‘why can’t I present the budget’. Then, I went on to present the budget for a record number of times,” CM Siddaramaiah recalled.
It may be noted that CM Siddaramaiah has presented 16 state budgets so far and he is all set to present the budget for 17th time as the CM of Karnataka. It would further extend his own record as at 16, he already holds the highest number of state budgets presented by any leader in Karnataka.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah further stated, “For the economic development of rural India, having one school, one gram panchayat, and one cooperative society in every village is essential — this was late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s vision. Because of his foresight, the cooperative movement strengthened across the country.”
He said that because of Pandit Nehru’s farsightedness, the Cooperative Week is celebrated every year on his birth anniversary.
Today, in Karnataka, the cooperative movement and cooperative societies continue to grow in various sectors including agriculture, dairy, industry, and banking, CM Siddaramaiah pointed out and added that this is a healthy development.
“When I was the Minister for Animal Husbandry, I gave full support to the autonomy and self-reliance of milk producers’ cooperative societies. Today, one crore litres of milk is produced every day. For the benefit of milk producers, our government is providing a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre — amounting to Rs 5 crore per day — to farmers,” CM Siddaramaiah said.
“We have increased milk prices twice, but I have clearly instructed that the additional money must go directly to the milk producers,” CM Siddaramaiah added.
“Since I became Chief Minister, we have been designing and implementing programmes for the welfare of people of all castes and religions. People of all castes and religions in Chamarajanagar district have supported me. Therefore, I will never forget this district,” he said.
“I have visited Chamarajanagar many times. There is a superstitious belief that a minister loses his post after visiting this district. But every time I come here, not only does my position remain secure, but the strength of our party also increases,” he said.
CM Siddaramaiah further announced that for cooperative society recruitments, priority would be given to those who have completed cooperative diplomas and degrees and the importance of cooperative principles will be included in educational curricula.
When asked by reporters whether the 2028 election would also be contested under Siddaramaiah’s leadership, he replied that an appropriate decision would be taken in the future and added, “As long as people expect it, I will continue to present the budget.”
When asked about his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said that the state has experienced heavy rainfall and compensation for the resulting damage was requested. Details were also provided about the issues of sugarcane growers and the discussions held with farmers and factory owners.