BJP using dalits as vote bank, says Jigajinagi

BJP Member of Parliament Ramesh Jigajinagi on Saturday accused the party of using dalits as vote bank.

Addressing media persons here, he said the party top brass had tried to make him and dalit leader Govind Karjol the State BJP president, knowing well that the party would lose the Assembly elections. “But we saw through their gameplan and refused the offer,” he said.

Referring to the core committee constituted by the then BJP government, he said no dalit leader was accommodated in it. “Even though I pleaded for a place in the committee, it fell on deaf ears,” he said.

Though two posts of deputy chief ministers were created, a dalit leader was not considered for one of them, he said.

Referring to the Congress that went to the poll this year with dalit leader G Parameshwara as the party president, he said dalits in the State had hoped that he would be made the chief minster.

But when the Congress won a clear majority, it denied him the opportunity, he said, and blamed the Congress leaders for the defeat of Parameshwara.

He said dalits should understand how they were being used by the Congress, and urged them to ensure the defeat of the UPA government at the Centre in the ensuing elections to the Lok Sabha.