'Proud to be a Kannadiga’: Chandra Arya joins Canada’s PM race, speaks in Kannada, quotes Kuvempu after nomination

Concluding his speech, Arya honored the legacy of Kannada poet Rashtrakavi Kuvempu, quoting a line from a famous song sung by legendary actor Dr Rajkumar.

Updated on: Jan 17, 2025, 11:33:19 IST

By Anagha Deshpande

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In a historic moment that resonated with Kannadigas worldwide, Canadian Member of Parliament Chandra Arya officially entered the race to become Canada's next Prime Minister, speaking in his native language, Kannada, after filing his nomination.

Canadian Member of Parliament Chandra Arya officially entered the race to become Canada's next Prime Minister. (X)

Arya, who represents Nepean in Ottawa, made the announcement with immense pride in his heritage. "It is a proud moment for about 5 crore Kannadigas that a person from Shira taluk of Tumkur district in Karnataka has been elected as a Member of Parliament in Canada and is now speaking in Kannada in this esteemed institution," Arya said, addressing the Parliament of Canada.

Watch him speak in Kannada here:

Concluding his speech, Arya honored the legacy of Kannada poet laureate Rashtrakavi Kuvempu, quoting a line from a famous song sung by legendary actor Dr. Rajkumar. "Elladaru iru enthadaru iru endendigu nee Kannadavaagiru, Kannadave Sathya Kannadave Nithya," Arya said, emphasizing the importance of identity and pride in being a Kannadiga, no matter where you are in the world.

Arya's candidacy announcement, made ahead of the Liberal Party’s meeting, was a proud moment for the Kannadiga community, showcasing his commitment to his roots while taking on this significant political challenge in Canada

“I am running to be the next Prime Minister of Canada to lead a small, more efficient government to rebuild our nation and secure prosperity for future generations,” he said in the post on X and added a long statement with it.

Stating that Canada is “facing significant structural problems” that haven’t been seen for generations, Arya said, adding that solving them will require tough choices. “For the sake of our children and grandchildren, we must make bold decisions that are absolutely necessary.”

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) highlighted that Arya wants to lead a small, more efficient government “with a cabinet selected on merit and not on (diversity, equity and inclusion) quotas.”

(With PTI inputs)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anagha Deshpande
Anagha Deshpande is Deputy Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times. She is currently part of the news team. Before moving into this role, she worked with the Bengaluru desk, where she extensively covered civic issues, Karnataka politics, infrastructure, and urban governance. Over the past seven years, Anagha has worked across multiple facets of digital journalism, including reporting, editing, and video production. She briefly stepped away from journalism, only to realize that the newsroom is where she has the most fun. Her interests lie in tracking national and state politics, particularly South Indian politics, as well as social issues and public policy. She has previously worked with Deccan Herald, Mid-day, The Federal, and ThePrint, and has lived and worked in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai. When she isn't chasing stories, Anagha enjoys long aimless walks, reading, hiking, discovering new teas, and, by her own admission, overthinking almost everything.Read More

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