Siddaramaiah, DKS seek Dalit support for LS polls

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Deputy D K Shivakumar on Friday sought cooperation from Dalit groups to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Ahead of the Assembly polls, the Dalit Sangharsha Samithi Aikya Horata Chalana Samithi, a federation of Dalit groups had announced support to Congress.

Acknowledging their role in bringing the Congress to power in Karnataka, the two leaders sought continued support from the Dalit organisations for the Lok Sabha polls, while promising to look into all their demands.

The duo was addressing a gathering 'Bheema Sankalpa' organised by the Dalit organisations.

Speaking on the occasion, Siddaramaiah said the BJP which was fundamentally opposed to the Constitution was using Ambedkar's name for politics. "When the then Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde declared that the Constitution needed to be changed neither PM Modi nor Amit Shah took any action. However, you and I worked to ensure that such people are today kept out of power. This must reverberate in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections too," he urged.

Shivakumar said the Congress government, over the years, had introduced several welfare measures for the Dalit community. The previous Siddaramaiah-led government had set aside a record Rs 30,000 crore for the SCP-TSP scheme, he recalled, promising that the current government would be inclusive and take all communities along.

"Together we have achieved one goal. Next is the 2024 polls," Shivakumar said, asking the Dalit organisations to stand by Congress.