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Why shouldn't Karnataka get a Dalit chief minister, asks DK Shivakumar

With the Karnataka Assembly elections scheduled for next year, state Congress chief DK Shivakumar on Tuesday asserted that the Congress has made chief ministers from almost all communities and therefore a Dalit can also become Chief Minister.

Published on: Jul 20, 2022, 10:05:51 IST
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With the Karnataka Assembly elections scheduled for next year, state Congress chief DK Shivakumar on Tuesday asserted that the Congress has made chief ministers from almost all communities and therefore a Dalit can also become Chief Minister.

Congress state party president DK Shivakumar on Tuesday also asserted that “Congress coming to power is more important than him becoming the chief minister”. (PTI Image)
Congress state party president DK Shivakumar on Tuesday also asserted that “Congress coming to power is more important than him becoming the chief minister”. (PTI Image)

KPCC president D.K.Sivakumar said, "Congress has made leaders of almost all communities as the chief minister of the state. Why shouldn't a person from the Dalit community become the chief minister?"

"Congress will win more than 136 seats in the next Assembly elections under collective leadership. An internal poll also said that we will get a majority. Veerappa Moily, Gundurao, Bangarappa, Devaraj Arasu, and Siddaramaiah have been the Chief Ministers. Why shouldn't a Dalit be the CM?" he added.

According to him, the state BJP government is the most corrupt government with a 'thick skin'. "People are tired of constant scams and corruption. Siddaramaiah's Congress government had fulfilled almost all aspects of the election manifesto. Has BJP fulfilled 40 per cent of its manifesto?" the Karnataka Congress chief questioned.

He said that once Congress comes to power, it will investigate all the scams of the BJP.

Speaking about Siddaramaiah's birthday celebration, he said, "Don't ruminate. There are many milestones in a person's life. Siddaramaiah's fans are celebrating Siddaramaiah's 75th birthday. Rahul Gandhi and I are both participating in the festival. We have no factions. We are a Congress faction."

Meanwhile, refuting reports of power tussle within Karnataka Congress, state party chief DK Shivakumar on Tuesday asserted that 'Congress coming to power is more important than him becoming Chief Minister'.

"It is more important for the Congress to come to power than for me to become the Chief Minister. Only if the Congress party comes to power, the post of Chief Minister will be available. The party high command will decide who should be the chief minister candidate. I am the party president after SM Krishna from the Vokkaliga community and I have requested that the Vokkaliga community should stand behind me," said KPCC president DK Shivakumar.

The next Karnataka Legislative Assembly election is scheduled to be held in or before May 2023 to elect all 224 members of the state's Legislative Assembly.

  • Yamini C S
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Yamini C S

    Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More