Mysuru, 6 May

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that his government is committed to social justice, power sharing and economic distribution, as such measures are a must to build a discrimination-free, equal society.

His comments come a day after senior Congress leader and PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi said that the party must do more for AHINDA communities (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits) if it wanted to come to power in 2028.

Speaking after inaugurating the State-level Shivayogi Siddarameshwara Jayanthi celebrations in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah said his government strongly believes in equally distributing wealth, resources and power to all citizens.

He said that the ongoing caste census would form the basis for future policy decisions, asserting that the exercise was crucial to advancing social justice in the State.

"We have gone beyond the Nagamohan Das report and implemented internal reservation… now it has been revised to 5.25 per cent, 5.25 per cent, and 4.5 per cent," he said.

He said that education was imperative for backward classes to come into the mainstream of society and eradicate the caste system.

Siddaramaiah also asked people to emulate the ideals of 12th-century social reformer Sharana Siddarameshwara, who he said advocated for the importance of working to accumulate wealth.

Will complete 5 years

Speaking to the press separately, Siddaramaiah asserted that the government would complete its full five-year tenure in the State, but appeared to sidestep a question about whether he would remain in office for the duration.

On the issue of a potential leadership change, he told reporters to stop asking “the same thing again” and said that the High Command will decide on such matters.

"I will meet (party leader) Rahul Gandhi only if he invites me (to New Delhi). I can reveal about the Cabinet reshuffle or Cabinet expansion after meeting him," he said.