‘In name of gou-matha’: New K’taka ministers break away from tradition, take oath in novel ways

Bengaluru: On the afternoon of Wednesday, August 4, the new Cabinet of the Government of Karnataka took the oath of office.

Many of the 29 who were administered oath by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, did so in the name of god and farmers.

The most unique among all was that of Prabhu Chauhan who took the oath in the name of ‘gou-matha.’

Murugesh Nirani, a popular leader from the Lingayat sub-sect, took oath in the name of gods and farmers while Anand Singh did so in the name of Vijayanagara Virupaksha and ‘Thaayi’ (mother) Bhuvaneshwari (a revered goddess in Karnataka).

Earlier too, in many States, Cabinet ministers broke away from tradition and had taken oath in novel ways.

MK Stalin took oath as chief minister of Tamil Nadu in May in the ‘name of conscience.’

While in 2020, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s Cabinet minister Gopal Rai took oath in the name of ‘freedom struggle’s martyrs.’

In Kerala, CPI(M) Cabinet ministers take oath, as per diktat, in the name of the Constitution of India.