Worried that you have a loan? Rest assured you’re not alone; Karnataka Chief Minister is there to keep you company.
In a candid admission to the enumerator of the Social and Educational Survey, who came to his house, Mr. Siddaramaiah admitted to having loans when question no. 41 on household loans was posed to him.
When he was asked the extent of his loan, Mr. Siddaramaiah turned to his Personal Secretary, who said he would have to cross-check the bank accounts before confirming the amount.
In a 20-minute chat with his nervous, harried enumerator, Shivakumar M.S., Mr. Siddaramaiah faced queries on his religion and caste. He pondered for a moment before he named his religion and caste, but refused to state his sub-caste.
While some officials asked the enumerator to stop asking questions as the Chief Minister was short on time, Mr. Siddaramaiah urged Mr. Shivakumar, who stopped at the 33rd question, to ask him all the 55 questions. “Is this how you fill the forms? Do you leave columns blank? Are there no questions on income and property?” he said.
Although the enumerator went through the entire list later, 20 columns of the 55 were empty at the end of the session, and officials said the rest could be collected from his personal staff.
The Chief Minister also did not list out his entire family, only his wife and two sons.
When the enumerator asked him question no. 24: ‘Are you presently working?’, there was laughter all around. “Yes. As the Chief Minister of Karnataka,” Mr. Siddaramaiah quipped, with childlike enthusiasm.
