Scared of people who sport tilak: Siddaramaiah

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah landed himself in a controversy with his statement on people who wear tilak (sacred Hindu mark of vermillion on forehead).

Addressing an event in Karnataka’s Badami on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah, a Congress leader, mockingly said that he is scared of people who smear ash or apply the kumkum on their foreheads.

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The practice of sporting a tilak on forehead is common among Hindus across the country.

“You are wearing that kumkum, will you do the work properly? I am scared of people who wear kumkum,” he said.

Siddaramaiah, who is the MLA from Badami, was speaking at an event to inaugurate a lake rejuvenation project.

“You have to do the work well and finish it on time, I don’t know… I have this fear about people who wear such long tikas on their forehead,” Siddaramaiah added.

According to reports, he was referring to a contractor present at the event who was sporting a tilak on his forehead. A priest had performed pooja during the inauguration.

Siddaramaiah is not new to controversies. In January this year, he was criticised for snatching the microphone away from a woman complainant in a public gathering which also pulled down her dupatta.

During the run-up to the assembly elections in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, who the opposition had accused of being for being anti-Hindu, had stressed on his Hindu identity by pointing to his name.