Siddaramaiah Reaffirms Opposition to RSS, Says Kaginele Peetha Built as Voice of Oppressed Communities

 Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said he had established the Kaginele Peetha as the voice of all oppressed communities and reiterated his lifelong opposition to the RSS, the caste system, and blind beliefs.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone for the new building of the Kurubara Sangha and hostel here, Siddaramaiah said his clear intention from the beginning was to ensure education and hostel facilities for children of the Kuruba community.

“The RSS ideology divides society through caste. It is anti-working class and against the labouring sections. That’s why I have opposed it since the beginning. It was with this conviction that I proposed Kaginele Peetha to represent all oppressed communities,” the Chief Minister said.

Referring to the decades-old demand to rebuild the Sangha’s structure, Siddaramaiah said the 100-year-old building was demolished after due consent, and the foundation stone for a new one was laid. “The new building will be completed within 18 months without compromising on quality,” he said.

The Kaginele Peetha is a spiritual and cultural centre for the Kuruba community, one of the largest backward class groups in the state. The Kurubara Sangha, or the Karnataka Pradesha Kurubara Sangha, is a community-based organisation that primarily works for the welfare and development of the Kuruba community.

Recalling his early association with the Sangha, Siddaramaiah said the old hostel had produced many judges and officers. “When I became Transport Minister in 1988, I organised the 500th birth anniversary celebration of Kanakadasa (16th-century poet-saint and social reformer), and decided that our community must have a spiritual seat. The Sangha had a debt of Rs 3 crore, and it was my government that freed it from that burden,” he said.

The Chief Minister also credited his entry into education and politics to Rajappa Master and Prof. Nanjundaswamy. “Had Rajappa Master not directly admitted me to the fifth standard, I would not have become a lawyer or Chief Minister. Later, Prof. Nanjundaswamy brought me into politics,” he said.

“If I had not entered politics, even the Kuruba Sangha’s building and Kaginele Peetha would not have survived. Real-estate rowdies would have taken over the community’s lands and temples,” he recalled.

Recounting earlier incidents, Siddaramaiah said he had faced death threats from Puttaswamy, an associate of rowdy Kotwal Ramachandra, to stay away from the Kuruba Sangha’s affairs. “But I did not yield. I fielded Mallappa from Davanagere against rowdy Puttaswamy in the Sangha elections. Though Puttaswamy went to court, the verdict came in our favour. That’s how I saved the Sangha,” he said.

He said he travelled across the state in his old car to organise the community.

“It was I who appointed Tharakananda as the Peetha head and invited Chief Minister Bangarappa and union Minister Sharad Pawar to inaugurate the Peetha. I, along with Mukudappa, Masti, and others, helped build the Kuruba Sangha and Peetha. Later, I made Vishwanath the chairman of the Peetha committee. Now he speaks irresponsibly,” Siddaramaiah said.

“The community must understand the truth. Those trying to twist history and scare Niranjananandapuri Swamiji are distorting facts. It was I who established the Gurupitha,” he added.