Shantaram Siddi Becomes India's First MLC From The Siddi Community After Being Nominated By Karnataka Govt

Shantaram Siddi, an activist from Siddi community in Karnataka has been nominated as Member of Legislative Council by the BJP Government led by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. This is the first time a member of this microscopic minority Community will find a place in a legislative body in the country.

Shantarama Siddi holds a BA degree and he is the first degree holder in the Siddi community. He joined Vanavasi Kalyanashram in 1989 as a Karyakarta, served as hostel warden and today he is the Secretary and Pranta Hitraksha Pramukh for the organisation.

The Siddis of Karnataka, are an ethnic group who descended from the Bantu-speaking people of Southeast Africa. They were brought to India by Portuguese merchants about 400 years ago.

Today, about 50,000 Siddi people live all over India, of which, more than a third live in the northern parts of Karnataka. They speak their own language called Siddi Basha, and having lived in Karnataka for generations, they are also fluent in Kannada.

Largely settled in suburbs and forests, Siddis often work as coolies and unskilled labourers on plantations. They were recognised as a Scheduled Tribe (ST) by the Government of Karnataka.