Bengaluru: Taking potshots at Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah’s unabashed bias for the AHINDA bloc (minorities, Dalits and backward classes), KPCC president and Home Minister, Dr G. Parameshwar and former MP, H. Hanumantappa on Tuesday said the Congress party had forgotten its roots and was indulging in pampering particular communities by launching schemes for their welfare instead of framing schemes keeping everyone in mind.
Speaking after paying tribute to former deputy prime minister Babu Jagjivan Ram on his birth anniversary, both leaders felt the Congress needs to wake up as the BJP had been making inroads into the Dalit community. “We need to work for the well being of everyone instead of focussing on a particular group or a bloc of voters,” they said.
Mr Hanumantappa who was more vocal, charged late prime minister, Indira Gandhi for encouraging vote bank politics in the country. “Even though, she appointed Jagjivan Ram as party president, this was done with an intention to attract Dalits and create a vote bank. The Congress party has not graduated from that point since then,” he said.
Dr Parameshwar said, “Be it Babasaheb Ambedkar or Jagjivan Ram, they strove hard to eradicate untouchability. Both these Dalit stalwarts never worked for any single community. As long as they lived, they worked for the betterment of the downtrodden. However, after their death, the Congress started launching schemes favouring various castes and so the condition of Dalits has not improved.”
He emphasised the need for Congress workers to strive hard to eradicate untouchability. “Even when Jagjivan Ram attended a programme organised at a temple in Benares, the entire place was cleansed. later Such incidents have been taking place since then. Recently, in Hassan, Dalits were not allowed in a shrine while Mandya has witnessed an honour killing,” he explained.
Dinner meet: Dr G gives clean chit to MLAs
Indirectly taking a swipe at Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah and giving clean chit to the Congress legislators who had a dinner meeting to demand berths, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, Dr G. Parameshwar said he had not come across any legislator speaking against party principles.
“I do not know what transpired at the dinner but they have not said anything contradicting party principles. We all will have to ponder over some issues they have raised.”
According to him, their demand that the leader from a district should not be made in-charge of the same district, needs to be discussed in the Congress Legislature Party(CLP) meeting. “The CLP provides a platform for them (MLAs) to air their views,” he clarified.
