Taking exception to comments on Dalits by Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah, who had said that Dalit leaders had quit the Congress and joined the BJP for the sake of livelihood, BJP State unit spokesperson and Sedam MLA Rajkumar Patil Telkur questioned whether the former had switched parties for his livelihood.
“Mr. Siddaramaiah’s words are insulting not just to Dalits but the Constitution drafted by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as well. Politicians switch parties, just as Mr. Siddaramaiah himself did, for better positions to serve society and not for livelihood. Switching parties is a right of every politician,” Mr. Telkur said at a recent press conference here.
Mr. Siddaramaiah had at an election rally in Sindgi recently said that the Dalits had quit the Congress and joined the BJP to secure their livelihood.
Mr. Telkur also said that the Congress had humiliated Dr. Ambedkar by defeating him in an election and not allowing him to perform independently as a Law Minister in the Jawaharlal Nehru Cabinet.
“Dr. Ambedkar was humiliated by the Congress. He was defeated by the Congress in an election. He was not allowed to work independently as a Law Minister. Even today, the Congress continues to display anti-Ambedkar and anti-Dalit approaches. The Congress, which had been treating Dalits, minorities and poor sections as its votebank, need not teach lessons to us on respecting these oppressed and marginalised communities,” Mr. Telkur said, calling upon the Dalits to be aware of the designs of the Congress.
State vice-president of BJP’s Scheduled Caste Morcha Ambaraya Ashtagi warned of intensifying agitations across the State if Mr. Siddaramaiah did not tender an apology.
“We have already had Statewide agitations condemning Mr. Siddaramaiah’s remarks. If he doesn’t tender a public apology, we will intensify the protests. Mr. Siddaramaiah became Chief Minister just six years after joining the Congress. He did it by sidelining all Dalit leaders, including Congress veteran M. Mallikarjun Kharge. He ensured the defeat of G. Parameshwara, a Dalit leader, in the 2013 Assembly elections to clear his way for the Chief Minister’s post. Taking Dalits for granted and treating them as its votebank without doing anything substantial for the development of the Dalit community has become a norm in the Congress. This approach towards Dalits in the Congress has been driving Dalit leaders to join other political parties,” Mr. Ashtagi said.
BJP MLA from Gulbarga Rural Basavaraj Mattimadu and others were present.
