Who is G Parameshwara? Ex-Karnataka Home Minister takes oath as Deputy CM in DK Shivakumar Cabinet

Senior Congress leader G Parameshwara on Wednesday took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka in DK Shivakumar's Cabinet.

Parameshwara, earlier on Wednesday, dismissed suggestions that his experience had been overlooked or that he had been treated unfairly.

Parameshwara, who was among the leaders considered for the top post, said the party leadership had entrusted him with a significant responsibility and that he fully accepted the decision taken by the Congress high command.

"There is absolutely no question of my experience being overlooked," Parameshwara said, according to PTI.

Who is G Parameshwara?

Born on 6 August 1951 in Gollahalli, a village in Tumkur that is now known as Siddartha Nagar, Parameshwara is the son of Gangamalamma Chikkanna and HM Gangadharaiah, a former member of the Legislative Council (MLC). He was Karnataka's Home Minister. He holds the distinction of being the longest-serving president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, having led the party's state unit for two consecutive terms.

He won as a Member of the Legislative Assembly against runner-up PR Sudhakar Lal in the Koratagere constituency on 13 May, 2023.

He completed his primary schooling at government schools in Gollahalli and Heggere, both in Tumkur. He later attended Sri Siddhartha High School in Siddartha Nagar, an institution founded by his father in 1959. After finishing school, he enrolled at the Government Pre-University College in Tumkur. He subsequently pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, and later earned a Master of Science degree in Agriculture from the same university.

After returning from Australia, Parameshwara worked as an administrative officer at Sri Siddhartha Institute of Technology (SSIT) in Tumkur. Prior to that, he had briefly served as a research assistant in the Department of Plant Physiology at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore.

In 1988, he assisted his father in establishing the Sri Siddhartha Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre. Although the proposal had initially been rejected by the Medical Council of India and the government led by Ramakrishna Hegde, it had received approval from Bangalore University. The institution was eventually granted permission to operate following a favourable decision by the Supreme Court of India.

His father originally belonged to Hebbalalu village in Kothagere Hobli of Kunigal Taluk, an area that now falls within Magadi Taluk of Ramanagara district, before relocating to Gollahalli, the native village of Parameshwara’s mother. Parameshwara is the third child in the family and has an elder brother, Dr G Shivaprasad.

Meanwhile, Parameshwara also extended his congratulations to Chief Minister-designate DK Shivakumar and former chief minister Siddaramaiah, noting that both leaders were actively involved in the decision-making process.

Regarding his role in the new government, he said he was prepared to take on any responsibility and serve in whichever portfolio was entrusted to him.

"I do not know which portfolio I will be given. Whatever portfolio is assigned to me, I will work in it," he stated.