'Dalit CM demand to show they are capable'

Home Minister G Parameshwara on Friday said the demand for a Dalit chief minister in the state is only to prove the capability of the deprived class.

After inaugurating the ‘Integration and Awareness’ programme organised by Dalit Sangatanegala Okkutta to mark Ambedkar Jayanti at the Government Model Higher Primary School here, Parameshwara said, “Dalits have been working for many decades and if the community people get higher opportunities, they will develop self-confidence and trust.”

However, he said, nothing will change at once if a Dalit becomes a CM. Recalling various incidents in his life, Parameshwara said, “I am proud of being a Dalit. I took every insult in my life as a challenge and thus attained this status.”

JD(S) MLA H K Kumaraswamy, in his presidential address said, except Congress, all political parties in the state have announced their CM candidate. “I have no faith that a Dalit from JD(S) can become a CM. At the most, I could become a minister but not the CM,” he said.