Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s younger son Yathindra Siddaramaiah (37) is making his political debut in the May 12 Assembly Elections. He is the Congress’s candidate from the Varuna constituency. A doctor by profession, Yathindra has left behind a medical diagnostics business to take the political plunge on the advice of his father. Although a political novice, the chief minister’s son has been learning the nuances of managing a political constituency for the last 18 months. The Indian Express spoke to the young leader, who is campaigning across villages in the Varuna constituency near Mysuru.
People say that your father knows at least one person from every household in this constituency. How familiar are you with the people of the constituency?
I know most of the leaders and some voters in the constituency, but I do not know the region like my father does. He knows the people in most of the houses. I am not familiar with them as much as my father is. But I am trying to learn.
One thing that comes up in conversations with people in this constituency is the memory of your brother, who looked after the region for 12 years before his untimely death in 2016. Does this constant comparison with your father and brother bother you?
I am aware that people liked Rakesh (older brother), and he received a lot of love from the people. I think he is more popular than me. In many villages, they refer to me as Rakesh instead of Yathindra. He was in the constituency for almost 12 years, and so he had a much more intimate relationship with the people. I know I cannot be like him because we are two different personalities. I am doing my own thing.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in your neighbourhood earlier he accused Siddaramaiah and the Congress of practising dynastic politics at the cost of party workers by inducting you in active politics through these elections. What is your view?
You cannot say that the children of politicians should not join politics. They may also have political ambitions, and so you cannot prevent them from contesting elections. It will be an injustice. Dynastic politics is dangerous or bad when you promote your son’s career at the cost of others. I have taken over a role that was being played by my older brother. He took care of the constituency for 12 years, and if he was around he would have contested the elections from this constituency. I have worked here for the last 18 months and the people have accepted me. The local leaders have accepted me and there is no other potential candidate so it is not dynastic politics. Just because you are the son of a politician or the Chief Minister, you will not get elected. Unless people like you and know you, and understand that you can get their work done, they will not elect you. They (BJP) should also look at their own party and see how many children of their leaders have got tickets in different states during elections.