BENGALURU: As Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stepped out of Room No. 323 on the third floor of Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday evening, there was an awkward silence. He walked out smiling and waved to people.
A day after his Delhi visit, Siddaramaiah came to his office in Vidhana Soudha to receive the Karnataka Socio-Economic and Educational Survey, known as the caste census report, from Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Chairman Madhusudan Naik.
He visited the seat of power around 5pm with a couple of his associates, walking slowly and smiling at the large number of people gathered in Vidhana Soudha. He refused to talk to anyone. The corridor was crowded with his fans and staff from the Secretariat, who stayed till he left the premises. Police personnel were finding it difficult to control the crowd raised slogans inside the Soudha premises. A few even held back tears.
Siddaramaiah waved as he left quietly, with ministers HC Mahadevappa, Shivaraj Tangadagi, N Chaluvarayaswamy, Satish Jarkiholi and CM’s legal adviser Ponnanna. Congress legislators PM Narendra Swamy and Shivalingegowda were also seen. Siddaramaiah reportedly signed some pending papers prior to receiving the report.
Earlier, Siddaramaiah had visited Vidhana Soudha to pay floral tributes to late PM Jawaharlal Nehru on his death anniversary. He spoke about Nehru’s contribution to the nation, but refused to speak to the media about the change in leadership. “I will speak tomorrow,’’ he told the media.