Siddaramaiah's political career comes of age

Bangalore, Sep 3 (UNI) The three-decade-old political career of Mr Siddaramaiah, who has remained a staunch socialist and an inalienable part of the 'Janata Parivar', has come a full circle, with the former Deputy Chief Minister joining the Congress, which he had opposed all along.

The Siddaramaiah-led All India Progressive Janata Dal today formally merged with the Congress at an impressive rally, attended by Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi here. However, eight legislators of the party have not enrolled in the Congress due to technical reasons.

The rally was indeed a massive show of strength by the Congress, seven months after the party-led coalition Government fell in the State, with an estimated five lakh people drawn from various parts of the state attending, party sources said.

For the 'champion of the backward classes', joining Congress was an inevitable path to tread after he fell out of favour with JD(S) President H D Deve Gowda.

Mr Siddaramaiah was the Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister for two terms -- from 1996-99 in the then Janata Dal Government and for eleven months in the Congress-led coalition Government under Mr N Dharam Singh from 2004-2005.

Belonging to the pastoral community, having the third biggest representation in the State behind Vokkaligas and Lingayats, Mr Siddaramaiah was born on August 12, 1948 in a poor family in the remote Siddaramanahundi in Mysore district. Elected for the first time to the State Assembly in 1983, he went on to become the Finance Minister in the Deve Gowda Ministry after the 1994 Assembly elections.

Known for his straight forwardness and integrity, Mr Siddaramaiah proved successful as the Finance Minister. His efforts to pull the State out of the overdraft mess and clear most of its debt came in for kudos from various quarters.

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