BANGALORE: With little more than a week after he was inducted as a minister, sports and fisheries minister Abhay Chandra Jain has tried to use his religion to seek a change in the ministerial responsibility.

Jain on Monday told chief minister Siddaramaiah that he belongs to the Jain religion and hence the fisheries portfolio should be taken back from him or changed. According to him his religion follows “path of ahimsa (non-violence)” so he may not perform well in the fisheries portfolio.

Speaking to media at Moodbidri, Jain explained that his community leaders have raised objections for accepting the fisheries portfolio. In deference to his community people’s sentiments, the minister said to have decided to relinquish fisheries responsibility.

However, Siddaramaiah outright rejected the proposal for change and asked Jain to continue in the existing set up. Sources close to CM said that Jain was told that portfolios were allocated based on merits not on religious lines.

Later Jain said he would continue in the portfolios as CM had rejected his request. “The CM told me that portfolio was allocated as I come from the coastal belt and expressed confidence in my ability to do well in the responsibilities given,” he added.

It may be recalled that Siddaramaiah is a self-confessed agnostic . During his swearing-in ceremony, he took oath in the name of "Truth" and not God.

Meanwhile, the CM has allocated districts as incharge to the ministers. Unlike other CMs, who held one or two districts under them, Siddaramaiah has not kept any district for himself.

Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy has been given Bangalore Urban, while revenue minister V Sreenivas Prasad is in charge of Mysore district, home turf of chief minister. Others: home minister KJ George – Bangalore Rural, Dinesh Gundurao – Chikkaballapur, UT Khader – Kolar, Krishna Byregowda – Ramanagaram, TB Jayachandra – Tumkur, Satish Jarkiholi – Belgaum, SR Patil – Bagalkot, HK Patil – Gadag, Vinay Kumar Sorake – Udupi, MB Patil – Bijapur, Santosh Lad – Dharwad, Prakash B Hukkeri – Haveri, RV Deshpande – Uttara Kannada, Qamar ul-Islam – Gulbarga, Sharanprakash Patil – Bidar, PT Parameshwar Naik – Bellary, Umashree – Raichur, Shivraj Thangadgi – Koppal, Baburao Chinchasanur – Yadgir, HS Mahadeva Prasad – Chamarajanagar, Abhay Chandra Jain – Chikmagalur, B Ramanath Rai – Dakshina Kannada, HC Mahadevappa – Hassan and Kodagu and M H Ambareesh – Mandya.