D K Shivakumar revives contentious issue on Dalit CM for Karnataka

Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar seems to have inadvertently revived the contentious Dalit CM issue.

Shivakumar publicly endorsed All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge’s candidature as chief minister with his statement on Saturday: “If Kharge becomes the CM, I’ll welcome it and I will be happy to work with him.”

Also Read: Congress appoints Dalit left leader B N Chandrappa as working president of Karnataka unit

Shivakumar’s suggestion comes at a time when several Congress leaders are queuing up for the CM’s job - Shivakumar and Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah are seen as the obvious options if the party comes to power.

But making a Dalit the CM is a hotly debated matter within Congress. Senior leaders such as G Parameshwara have publicly lamented that Dalits are not given the opportunity to become CM. Parameshwara, a Dalit himself, said recently that he too is a CM aspirant.

On Sunday, Siddaramaiah steered clear of the debate saying the high command will decide on the next CM. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also emphasised that any talk on the CM candidate would be relevant only after the elections. “First the party needs to win the election,” he said.

It is widely believed that Kharge missed the opportunity of becoming the CM in 2013.

Shivakumar floating Kharge’s name is seen as a move to checkmate Siddaramaiah’s CM prospects. Also this time, senior Congress leader K H Muniyappa, a Dalit, is contesting the May 10 Assembly election Devanahalli. He, too, might emerge as a contender under the ‘Dalit CM’ category.

Also Read: Parties vie for Vokkaliga vote that's key in nearly 100 Assembly constituencies in Karnataka

Earlier, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member L Hanumanthaiah had demanded that the party should give an opportunity for a Dalit to be the CM.

Speaking to DH, Hanumanthaiah said if the Congress comes to power this time, he and others like him would mount pressure on the high command to consider a Dalit leader for the CM’s post. “Many in the party are in favour of it, but they haven’t been able to express it,” he said.

Karnataka has never had a Dalit CM. The state has seen three OBCs, two Brahmins, six Lingayats, four Vokkaligas and one Rajput as CMs.

Political analyst Muzaffar Assadi, however, said the ‘Dalit CM’ debate is premature at this juncture. “It’s not that simple,” he said.

“If Congress brings Kharge to state politics, it’ll revive the argument of dynasty politics. It’ll also send a wrong message that Congress is anti-Dalit at the national-level. Further, it would derail Kharge’s efforts on Opposition unity,” he explained.