Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said here on Sunday that he was not against any community and the social welfare programmes launched by him were for the betterment of the poor irrespective of their caste affiliations.
He was speaking after accepting a felicitation from the Mysuru District Brahmins Mahasabha here. Mr. Siddaramaiah said he had neither claimed to be an atheist nor did he harbour hatred against any community though there were speculations rife about it. “I’m opposed to certain rigidities and the kind of system that has crept in,” he said.
Pay of priests
The Chief Minister pointed out that his government had increased the pay of priests working in Muzrai Department controlled temples, besides increasing the annual grants to the temples, which underscored that he did not harbour any pre-conceived notions about the community members.
Referring to the economically weaker sections among the Brahmin community, Mr. Siddaramaiah said he was aware of their problems and pointed out that the Constitution provided reservation for the socially backward and not for the economically weaker section.
