BENGALURU: Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara on Tuesday raked up the ‘Dalit for CM’ issue again by stating that the Congress lost the 2018 election because it ignored the Scheduled Caste community.
Speaking at a convention of Scheduled communities at the Ambedkar Bhavan, where a felicitation for Dalit ministers was organised by community groups, Parameshwara said, “I was KPCC president in 2013 and the Congress came to power. Nobody said it was because of my leadership and neither did I stake any claim. But, in 2018, we lost and the community which was ignored taught us a lesson and the party was defeated”.
“Our leaders told us to organise Jagjivan Ram Jayanti under the leadership of K H Muniyappa and Ambedkar Jayanti under my leadership. Here too, they tried to divide us as SC-Left and SC-Right. I had told Muniyappa that we should not get divided”, Parameshwara said.
Further, the Home Minister that the party leaders, while analysing the victory this time, acknowledged that the Dalit had backed the Congress and that Muslims had fully supported the party. “Now, everybody knows about us… In the 51 reserved Assembly segments, we won 32 seats. We should not have inferiority complex, that is why I keep saying I should be made CM”, he said.
“Why shouldn’t I be CM? Why shouldn’t K H Muniyappa or H C Mahadevappa be made CM? We have been denied an opportunity. We should remain united and not get divided over Left or Right. Unity should be our mantra”, Parameshwara said.