Accepted Finance portfolio for the first time in 1994 at Deve Gowda’s insistence: CM Siddaramaiah

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday acknowledged that it was because of the insistence of Chief Minister H.D. Deve Gowda that he took on the responsibility of the Finance portfolio in 1994.

“I was keen to handle the revenue portfolio. But senior leader R.L. Jalappa opted for it at a meeting to decide the portfolio allocation after Mr. Gowda became the Chief Minister. Hence, Mr. Gowda persuaded me to take up the Finance portfolio, saying that he wanted someone trustworthy to handle it. Though I did not know anything about finances, I took up the portfolio as he insisted,” the Chief Minister told the State Legislative Assembly while intervening during a debate on the State Budget 2026-27 presented by him.

Mr. Siddaramaiah, who has presented 17 State Budgets so far, said this incident had resulted in his continuing with that portfolio subsequently.

Bouquet and brickbat

Referring to this, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok remarked that Mr. Siddaramaiah should at least thank Mr. Gowda for his vision in choosing him for the job.

Mr. Ashok displayed a copy of the first State Budget presented by Mr. Siddaramaiah for 1995-96 and hailed it as a Budget that had “weight”. Pointing out that some people had ridiculed Mr. Siddaramaiah then by remarking that a person who could not count sheep had been chosen for the job of presenting the State Budget, Mr. Ashok said Mr. Siddaramaiah had then given a befitting reply to them by presenting a quality Budget with vision.

But the present Budget presented by Mr. Siddaramaiah was a poor shadow of his first Budget, he remarked.