Bengaluru, Apr 26 (DHNS): Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said that the State, as a policy, would not announce any new government holidays.

Speaking at a function organised to commemorate the birth anniversary of the ancient king Bhagirath, Siddaramaiah said there had been a demand that the jayanthi of the king, who according to mythology was instrumental in bringing River Ganga to the earth from heaven, be declared a government holiday.

“As a policy, we have decided that no new government holidays will be declared. But the birth anniversary of king Bhagirath, known for his perseverance, will be celebrated by the government at the State and district level,” Siddaramaiah said.

This is the first time the government was celebrating Bhagirath Jayanthi at the state level at the behest of the Uppara community, who consider the king their Kuladevatha (family god).

Siddaramaiah defended the ongoing caste census stating that the exercise was expected to throw up the reality of the socio-economic status of the communities in the State.

“Politicians like H D Kumaraswamy, Jagadish Shettar and Ananth Kumar are opposing the census because they do not want the social scenario to change... they want the society to remain stagnant,” he said.

The survey will also help analyse the socio-economic progress of each caste, he pointed out.