Bellary: When travelling, he needs to be updated on cricket scores. Siddaramaiah is adamant on that. The Karnataka chief minister has a soft corner for wrestling and old Hindi film songs. Like the late K Karunakaran, Siddaramaiah is close to his loyalists.
He didn’t learn his politics from the Congress school. Instead, he did his primary schooling at a farmer's association called Karnataka Raitha Sangha; his high school days were in Janata Party and graduation and post-graduation were done in the Janata Dal. After opposing Emergency, Siddaramaiah did his doctorate in the Congress and was guided by the people to become the chief minister of Karnataka.
The Karnataka CM doesn't get flattered by media attention. His toughness is visible on his sun-burned face. He was caught off-guard only once - when his eldest son Rakesh died in Belgium in 2016.
Aiming to follow in the footsteps of his father, Rakesh had wanted to contest from Varuna constituency. This time, Siddaramaiah’s younger son Dr Yathindra is in fray from Varuna.
His tight schedule of six rallies and constant air travel every day fail to tire this war horse. Sporting a jubba (long kurta) and a Mysore towel worn as a shawl, Siddaramaiah spoke to Onmanorama from guest house no.11, loacted at Vidyanagar, in the 10,000-acre Jindal Steel City.
Q: Wasn't it momentous when you went to study law in Mysuru from a small hamlet called Siddaramanahundi in Mysuru?
CM: My father and mother were illiterate. Since I was good at science and maths, my father wanted me to become a doctor. I did BSc and then law. Emergency happened when I was studying at Sharada Vilas College. I began by protesting against the Emergency and won my first election in 1983.
Q: Chamundeshwari will be a tight fight. Hasn't JD(S) taken upon itself to defeat you?
CM: In Chamundeshwari, the contest is between the Congress and the BJP. The JD(S) is not a force to reckon with. They might get a maximum of 25 seats in south Karnataka. The JD(S) means Janata Dal Sangh Parivar. There is no doubt that the Congress will get a majority.
Q: Narendra Modi has called yours a 10% government?
CM: A person holding a position like the prime minister's should not stoop to such low levels. He has several ways to obtain information. Let him get documents against me and then confront me. Don't fool the people of Karnataka. The prime minister asked Rahul Gandhi to speak 15 minutes about the achievements of the Siddaramaiah government without reading out from a piece of paper. I am challenging him. Can the prime minister talk for 15 minutes about the achievements of the former Yeddyurappa government by referring to a piece of paper? Calling Bengaluru the garden city a garbage city is insulting.
----
Siddaramaiah' s secretary Prabhakar comes with a phone. It seems a close friend is on the line and the talk was about the Congress ignoring its leader Mallikarjun Kharge for the chief minister's post in 2013, the CM hung up without even bothering to disconnect the call. It was Prabhakar who disconnected the call. He told the CM that his new tweet is also trending. Siddaramaiah smiled, as if he is thoroughly enjoying his popularity on social media.
-----
Q: There are allegations that law and order is in a shambles. Isn't the government responsible if a senior official commits suicide due to mental stress?
CM: I became a cabinet member in 1984. I know how to work with bureaucrats. It was clear that the official had committed suicide. The CBI is looking into such cases.
Q: There are also allegations that Karnataka too has Kerala-model political murders?
CM: Only the BJP says that. They say that 24 peoples have been murdered. They might have died due to several other reasons.
Q: Wasn't the move to accord Lingayats special status a controversial move?
CM: Never. Lingayats have been demanding minority religion status for long. We had set up a minority commission to study their demand. A retired judge studied their demand and submitted his recommendation. We accepted it and submitted it to the Centre. We haven't tried to split any community.
Q: Yeddyurappa has already announced that he has decided on the swearing-in date and venue and that three lakh people will take part in the function?
CM: People will float in an imaginary world if their dreams are not fulfilled. Yeddyurappa is in such a world now. How can the BJP project a person who has spent 22 days in jail as its chief ministerial candidate?
-----
Before he could answer to the query whether he is an atheist or not, the interview time was over. Siddaramaiah's next destination is Davangere district, a Congress bastion in north Karnataka.
In the election barometer, the mercury level is going up.