JOIN USNow, Kurubas, Lingayats mount pressure for Karnataka CM post
Three major communities - the Kurubas, Vokkaligas and Lingayats - are mounting pressure on the Congress to announce a chief ministerial candidate from their community.
The Kurubas and the Vokkaligas are throwing their weight behind Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar, respectively, for the chief minister’s position.
While the Vokkaliga community seers had earlier demanded that Shivakumar be made the CM, on Tuesday the Kurubara Sangha demanded that Siddaramaiah should get the job.
In a statement, the Sangha pointed out that Siddaramaiah had no corruption allegations against him. He was an inclusive leader who came up with several inclusive welfare schemes during his tenure in 2013. He will be the right choice to not only take those forward but also to implement the five guarantees promised by the Congress, the Sangha said in its
statement.
He was also capable of tackling the “corrupt” BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, it added.
The All India Veershaiva Mahasabha has demanded for a CM from its community. The Mahasabha is headed by Congress veteran Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
In a letter to AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, the association pointed out that of the 46 seats Lingayat candidates contested on Congress tickets, 34 candidates had won.
The community has played a crucial role in electing candidates from other smaller communities in 50 constituencies. This shows that the traditional voters of BJP have shifted to Congress, the statement said. The community has also demanded Cabinet berths to their leaders.
Meanwhile, the Arya Idiga Maha Samsthana has shot off a letter to Kharge seeking adequate representation to its lawmakers in the new Cabinet - B K Hariprasad, H R Gaviyappa, Harish Kumar, Madhu Bangarappa, Belur Gopalakrishna and Bheemanna Naik. These leaders must be given an opportunity, the association has sought.
In addition, the Dakshina Kannada District Muslim Federation has also demanded a Cabinet post for Hariprasad, claiming that he is capable of offering an alternative to the district which is replete with communal politics.