Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Oct 31: Former mining baron and minister, G Gali Janardhan Reddy's unkind comment that the Lord distanced Siddaramaiah from his son as punishment for separating him from his family for four and half years during which period he was jailed, insisting that he had done nothing wrong, has attracted public ire, particularly from users of the net.

In reply, Siddaramaiah had tweeted that he had noted Reddy's comment that he was punished by god for the sins he committed. "I pray to the Lord not to punish your children for the sins committed by you," he said in his tweet addressed to Reddy.

Siddaramaiah (L) and Janardhan Reddy

Reddy made the said remark, which appeared to be not in good taste, during an interview transmitted by a private news channel. Obviously Reddy referred to the death of Rakesh (39), son of Siddaramaiah, in Belgium during the year 2016. Reddy also is heard recalling a story from Ramayana in which King Dasaratha was cursed by the old parents of a boy who was erroneously killed by the King with an arrow, thinking him to be an animal. As the story goes, Dasaratha died when his children were away.

Siddaramaiah's tweet in Kannada seemed to have moved the sentiments of the people on a large scale. Most of the people who commented found Reddy's remark to be unkind and distasteful.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, Dinesh Gundu Rao, said that Janardhan Reddy, by referring to the demise of Siddaramaiah's son, had exposed his dirty mind. He said that politics backed by the wishes of another's death tarnishes one's image. He added that Congress leaders have nothing to learn from leaders like Yeddyurappa who lack clear conscience.