Sita's character is bigger than Lord Ram, says Karnataka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday said that the character of Sita in Ramayana is much bigger than that of Lord Ram. He was speaking after inaugurating the fifth edition of 'Together We Grow International Women Entrepreneurship Day' organized by the Ubuntu Consortium of Women Entrepreneurs Association in Bengaluru. Shivakumar appealed to women entrepreneurs to play a leadership role in the development of the state. He said- Women build. They should take the lead up to Parliament. The government will provide full support. Women's leadership is essential from Gram Panchayat to Parliament. Shivakumar said that the leadership of women is essential from gram panchayats to Parliament. He said that the state government is committed to women empowerment. He said, "When the creativity, ability and determination of women get access to capital, technology and market, then there is no limit to what they can create. It is the responsibility of the government to create an environment in which their potential can move forward." Mentioning the five guarantee schemes, the Chief Minister said that he has faith in the power of the youth and women. He said that the Congress government has launched five guarantee schemes. These include Shakti, Grih Laxmi, Grih Jyoti, Anna Bhagya and Yuva Nidhi. He said, "Under the Grih Laxmi Yojana, 1.22 crore women in the state get Rs 2,000 every month. This has helped them to take care of their families." Examples of women from Sonia Gandhi and Mahabharata, Shivakumar termed women as the "eyes" of the family in Indian culture. She praised the women entrepreneurs who are facing economic challenges while running the business and assured them of the full support of the government. Citing the example of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, he said that Sonia Gandhi faced shocks like the death of her mother-in-law and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Even after this, she went ahead and led the party. Shivakumar gave the example of Draupadi and Kunti from the Mahabharata and said that women have a lot of talent and ability. He appealed to women to take up leadership roles. There is not a single woman minister in the Karnataka government, there are a total of 33 ministers, including the CM and Deputy CM. But it does not include a single woman minister. On August 3, 2026, DK Shivakumar inducted 20 new ministers. But even in this expansion, no women found a place.