When his aide’s anti-Brahmin comment proved costly for Siddaramaiah

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BySouth First Desk

Published Nov 25, 2022 | 9:28 PMUpdatedApr 07, 2023 | 10:19 PM

Behind the News

Assembly elections in Karnataka are barely months away and leaders are being cautious about not landing in controversies. But what is one to do when a close aide lands himself in a controversy, dragging the leader with him?

That is exactly what happened to Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah. His close aide Pa Mallesh made derogatory remarks against the Brahmin community, forcing Siddaramaiah to express regret on his behalf.

The comments, which were made in Mysuru earlier this month by Pa Mallesh, came during the release of a book on Siddaramaiah.

“Irrespective of the situation, people must not trust the Brahmins and Brahminism. The Vedas and Upanishads have ruined this nation,” Pa Mallesh remarked in the presence of Siddaramaiah at the book-release event.

The comments led to protests in Mysuru. Enraged over the statement, Brahmin organisations filed a complaint against Pa Mallesh for his remarks.

Not wanting to risk leaving the Brahmin community fuming, Karnataka’s Congress unit is said to have decided to sort out the issue at the earliest. Siddaramaiah made an attempt to tackle the situation and met with Brahmin Mahasabha president and former advocate general Ashok Haranahalli to persuade him to not pursue the matter further.

“The main purpose of meeting Siddaramaiah was to discuss the anti-Brahmin statements made by one of his followers during a book release event in Mysuru,” Haranahalli told South First. “He expressed regret for the incident,” he added. It is also said that Pa Mallesh issued an apology.

Siddaramaiah heaved a sigh of relief as the issue had been sorted out and the Brahmin associations decided not to pursue the issue further.