Rumours spread that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had changed the car after a crow was seen sitting on it.
Highlights
- Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah changed his official vehicle
- Rumours claimed that he changed it after a crow was seen sitting on it
- Chief Minister, believed to be a rationalist, has rubbished the rumours
There is strange and then there is a chief minister having to deny that he changed his official car because a crow sat on it.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has found himself in that position after a picture of a crow sitting on his car became public a few days ago - and then his car was changed soon after.
Crows are considered to bring bad luck by some and in no time speculation grew that that the change in vehicle was because the black bird had decided to take a bit of rest on the government vehicle.
The chief minister himself laughed off questions about the crow-car connection. "I have been talking about changing the car for two months - not now. I told our office to change the car because since three years I am using this car only. I had travelled more than 2 lakh kilometres."
Siddaramaiah denied that he changed his vehicle over any superstition.
Siddaramaiah is known a rationalist - he even presented the last state budget at the time of 'Raahu Kalam' which is considered an inauspicious time in the Hindu calendar. And he pointed out that he had visited Chamarajanagar, a town in Karnataka that was believed to bring bad luck to chief ministers.
"Look, six times I went to Chamarajanagar. No chief minister was going there because he may lose power. But I have gone there six times. I don't believe in all these superstitious things," he said - a dismissal of charges that he hopes will leave his detractors eating crow.