RSS signal on Modi’s retirement is BJP’s golden chance to name Dalit PM: Siddaramaiah

Siddaramaiah was responding to Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra, who had challenged the Congress to announce its president Mallikarjun Kharge as its Prime Ministerial candidate to prove its commitment to backward classes and SC/STs.

Bengaluru: Claiming that RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat has already signalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political retirement on turning 75, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said this was the BJP’s "golden chance" to make a Dalit the next Prime Minister.

He was responding to Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra, who had challenged the Congress to announce its president Mallikarjun Kharge as its Prime Ministerial candidate to prove its commitment to backward classes and SC/STs.

"Mallikarjun Kharge is not just the AICC president but a respected statesman. His rise is not the result of playing a 'Dalit card' but of decades of dedication, integrity, and public service. He never needed political patronage. And let me be very clear: in the Congress, it is our party that decides who our PM candidate will be—not the BJP," Siddaramaiah said.

Urging Vijayendra to focus on his own party instead of wasting time talking about the Congress, Siddaramaiah said in a statement, "Mohan Bhagwat has already signalled Modi’s retirement, now that he is 75. This is the BJP’s golden opportunity to make a Dalit the next Prime Minister. Let the initiative start with you." "Instead of lecturing others, why don’t you propose a Dalit leader as the BJP’s Prime Ministerial face? Whether it’s Govind Karjol or Chalavadi Narayanaswamy (state BJP leaders), if you propose their names, I’ll be the first to congratulate you," he added.

"But I have no illusions. The BJP’s treatment of Dalits and backward classes has always been tokenistic. Your history and hypocrisy speak for themselves," he said.

Highlighting the BJP’s record of appointing OBC and SC/ST leaders as CMs in various states, Vijayendra had said on Wednesday, "Congress and Siddaramaiah make speeches. I challenge them—if they genuinely care about OBC or SC/ST communities, let them announce Mallikarjun Kharge as their Prime Ministerial candidate. Let’s see." "It won’t happen. The Gandhi family won’t allow it—neither Rahul Gandhi nor Sonia Gandhi will accept it," the state BJP chief had claimed.

Calling Vijayendra “a state president who cannot even secure the stability of his own chair,” Siddaramaiah alleged "it was laughable that he had the audacity to advise Congress on its Prime Ministerial choice." "This isn’t just ignorance and self-deception—it’s arrogance and entitlement," he claimed.

He asked, "If Vijayendra has the habit of reading, he should familiarise himself with the BJP’s record on backward classes, Dalits, and minorities. Take the shameful case of Bangaru Laxman—a Dalit leader elevated to party president, only to be disgraced with corruption charges and jailed. That humiliation led to his death. Who was responsible for that?" The BJP often flaunts the name of President Droupadi Murmu, Siddaramaiah pointed out, "But why has the BJP never projected her as Prime Minister?" "They boast about making A P J Abdul Kalam the President. Yet, can Vijayendra explain why the BJP does not have a single Muslim MP in the current Lok Sabha? Why wasn’t even one Muslim given a ticket in the last election?" If proof is needed of how the BJP sidelines backward class leaders, Siddaramaiah said, "Look at Karnataka—S Bangarappa, a prominent backward class leader, was politically finished by your father B S Yediyurappa. Now, you are trying to end the political career of his son, Kumar Bangarappa. Father and son have made this their family mission." "Be it Bangarappa or Narendra Modi, their safety within the BJP lasts only as long as they remain subservient to its casteist Hindutva agenda. Modi surely knows this uncomfortable truth himself," he claimed.

Asking Vijayendra to step down as BJP state president and offer the role to a Dalit leader if he truly cares about dignity and representation, Siddaramaiah said, "If you're struggling to find a name, I’ll suggest one—Govind Karjol. Though he now parrots your party line, I’ve worked with him and can vouch that he is fundamentally a decent man. If you or your party have the courage and conviction, declare Karjol as BJP’s state president and your Chief Ministerial face for Karnataka." "But I know you won’t. The BJP’s sole purpose is to use Dalit leaders to defame others while ensuring they never rise to positions of real power or respect within the party," he claimed.