Siddaramaiah meets Kerala CM at Sivagiri Mutt, holds cordial talks

After the recent verbal duel with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the demolition of illegally constructed houses in Kogilu Layout in Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday met Mr. Vijayan at Sivagiri Mutt near Thiruvananthapuram and held cordial talks.

The demolition of houses in Bengaluru has become a political flashpoint between Karnataka and Kerala after Mr. Vijayan termed the demolition drive an act of “bulldozer raj” and apparently compared it to the alleged “anti-minority” drive implemented by the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh.

Mr. Siddaramaiah, who was on a visit to Kerala, met his counterpart Vijayan at a programme at the Sivagiri Mutt and exchanged pleasantries. Both chief ministers were on the stage and enquired about the well-being of each other.

During the visit, Mr. Siddaramaiah paid his respects at the tomb of Sree Narayana Guru. On X, Mr Siddaramaiah said that he was delighted with the warm welcome he received from Gyanateertha Swami and the followers of the guru when he landed at the Thiruvananthapuram airport to participate in the programme to be held at the Sivagiri Mutt.

Speaking at the 93rd Sivagiri annual festival, Mr. Siddaramaiah said Sree Narayana Guru (1856-1928) was a philosopher, spiritual leader, and social reformer who led a reform movement against the injustices of the caste system in Kerala to promote social and economic equality.

The Chief Minister said Sree Narayana Guru was not just a saint. He was a movement for equality and morality. The holy place should take steps to eradicate caste oppression and lead the society towards social justice. “The Sivagiri Mutt is not just a pilgrimage centre but a moral university of India’s conscience. This is an intellectual and global movement of humanity,” the Chief Minister said.

The Mutt campus is spread across 200 acres. Sree Narayana Guru breathed his last in this mutt in 1928.

The programme was attended by Sachchidananda Swami, head of the mutt; AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal, Karnataka Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar and MLC B.K. Hariprasad.