E.R. RAMACHANDRAN writes: Ajji flung the Vishwa Karnataka paper she was reading.
“Yenayithu Ajji! Bel-beliggene mood-offu?” I said.
“Ideno anyaya! Has the Karnataka government started operating from Shaneeshvara temples in Tamil Nadu or what?”
Ajji sounded the same way Sonia Gandhi did when she asked Manmohan Singh whether he had decided to sell off all the fertile lands to industry to reach 9% growth.”
“Why do you say that, Ajji?”
“Ilvo!Whenever they are in trouble due to their illegal and covert operations for personal gains, our BJP ministers either take shelter at Shaneeshvara temples or in the ICU of hospitals.”
“Sankata bandaaga Venkataramana, illa aaspathrege sharanu. Who is the latest, Ajji?”
“Namma medical education minister Ramachandre Gowdru was taking asylum in Shaneeshwara temples in Tamil Nadu even as the High Court was passing strictures against his role in appointments to medical colleges. It won’t be easy for him to escape. Kashi-ge hodru shani-kaata thappiddalla. Even Shaneeshwara can’t save him from the courts. That’s why he has had to resign.”
“Our CM too every now and then goes away to Tamil Nadu to escape from the Reddys.”
“Howdappa! Namma CM often runs away to Shaneeshwara temple in Karaikkal, Surya temple in Kumbakonam, Vaideeshwaran koil in Nagapattinam making handsome donations from the taxpayers’ pocket each time he visits these temples. Alvo! Can’t he donate some of his largesse to beggar homes as they are truly darida Narayanaru? Basavanna, the philosopher and spiritual leader whom our CM quotes every now and then, said, ‘ಉಳ್ಳವರು ಶಿವಾಲಯ ಮಾಡುವರು ನಾನೇನು ಮಾಡಲಿ ಬಡವನಯ್ಯಾ?’ (The rich build temples what can I do, a poor man?). When will our leaders at least learn to see gods in the poor instead of shedding copious crocodile tears?”
“He is trying to ward off evil stars and is scared he will lose CM gaddi, Ajji.”
“He donates crores to Devanatha swamy temple in Cuddalore, an elephant to the Rajarajeshwari temple in Kannur in Kerala. Day in day out they lecture about Krishna-Kuchela friendship? Can’t our politicians ease the sufferings of beggars, destitutes and flood -affected and spend the public money for the welfare of needy in the State?”
“Ajji! Our CM is also taking responsibility on himself follies of his colleagues like Hartalu Halappa.”
“You can call him Hospital Halappa or ICU Halappa! When he was accused of rape, he got himself admitted into an ICU. Ramu, doesn’t bachcha in Hindi mean a kid? Is that the reason why minister Bachche Gowda likes playing kalla-police chasing somebody or the other in his car and slapping them in public? And then we have Krishniah Shettru who brought Ganga jal in tankers and distributed it to devotees in temples in Karnataka even as he was involved in land scams, a balancing act of paapa and punya! Quite a bunch of characters the CM has assembled in his cabinet from where skeletons often come out rattling!”
“Ajji!”
“One of his colleagues in charge of the ‘begging eradication programme’, almost succeeded eradicating beggars from the face of Bangalore in a period of a fortnight!”
“Ajji!”
“Alvo! Can’t our CM oversee the performance of his ministers? He seems to wake up only when scams come tumbling one after the other. The remedy he resorts to is either a quick-fix apology on behalf of the minister or shedding tears for the benefit of TV cameras. If both these fail he dashes to temples in Tamil Nadu spraying huge donations. How can we have clean good governance if either we have suspects who are plain looting the State through mining or land scams or otherwise busy with street fights and doing gangajal prokshane on the masses?”
***
Photograph: Chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa with then minister Shobha Karandlaje in tow, taking part in the nadayiruthal ritual in connection with his offering of an elephant to a temple to the Rajarajewara temple at Taliparamba in Kannur in 2008. Medical education minister Ramachandre Gowda is in the centre. (courtesy: The Hindu)
Also read: Do our gods sanction our politicians’ silly games?
churumuri 
Why is this website so racist? At the drop of a pin, they start throwing brickbats at TN. Post after post, I read the same. If you have to glorify Kannada and Karnatake, why do you have to throw mud at others?
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Ajji yavaglu correct agi observe mad heltare.
This series is the best read on churumuri.
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Ree Churumuri, Ajji kathegalu sustaithu…. Dayavittu, bring back Murthy Angadi…
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Lol. Loved Ajji’s lil’ speech.
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Ajji is a wonderful persona.
Partha–
Where is the insult to Tamils? All ajji says is that the Chief Minister is fond of visiting any god that might buy him a reprieve from whatever scandal is haunting him at the moment. If anything, Kannada politicians are a great insult Karnataka.
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Kuchanoor in theni district is a sani sthala. hope yeddy will visit it soon. but when u go to tirunallar, u need to leave one of your posession there. what he had left after this much visits?
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