The district unit of the BJP staged a demonstration outside the district administrative complex in Kalaburagi on Tuesday demanding the resignation of Large and Medium Industries Minister M.B. Patil for his objectionable remarks against the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy.
The protesters took out a procession from SVP Chowk to the Deputy Commissioner’s office raising slogans against Mr. Patil terming him “anti-Dalit” before staging the demonstration.
“Mr. Narayanaswamy is a Dalit leader who rose to the position of Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council through his hard work and social service. When he talked of the rampant corruption in the Congress government, the Congress leaders tried to suppress his voice by unleashing a verbal attack against him. M.B. Patil’s objectionable remarks are part of a larger design to silence Mr. Narayanaswamy’s voice,” the former MLA Dattatreya Patil Revoor said during the agitation.
State Vice-President of BJP’s Scheduled Castes Morcha Ambaraya Ashtagi said that Mr. Patil’s remarks against Mr. Narayanaswamy demonstrate the resentment against the progress made by a Dalit leader.
“Mr. Narayanaswamy is one of the few Dalit leaders who have been the voice of voiceless Dalits in the State. His integrity and commitment to the development of the most oppressed communities is unquestionable. When he questioned the corruption of the Congress government, everybody in the ruling party unleashed a bitter verbal attack. It showed how the Congress leaders are unable to digest the progress made by a Dalit leader. The government should file a case against Mr. Patil under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 for his remarks against Mr. Narayanaswamy,” Mr. Ashtagi said.
Pointing to the land allotment to Siddhartha Vihar Trust run by the family of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Mr. Ashtagi said that Priyank Kharge and his brother Rahul Kharge, sons of Mallikarjun Kharge, must return the land to the government to show that they are real followers of Dr. B.R. Ambedkhar.
General secretary of the State unit of BJP’s Backward Classes Morcha Avvanna Myakeri said that Mr. Patil has, with his remarks, insulted not just Mr. Narayanaswamy but also the Dalits and other backward classes.
He also raised the issue of the government land given to Kharge family-run trust.
“The government land that are supposed to be given to poor Dalit families are given to the Kharge family-run trust. Being a Dalit leader, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge is not speaking against M.B. Patil who insulted another Dalit leader Mr. Narayanaswamy just to cover up his family’s land-grabbing endeavour,” he said.
The former MLA Rajkumar Patil Telkur, the former Minister Baburao Chauhan, BJP leaders Shivaraj Patil Raddewadagi, Shivayogi Naganalli, Ashok Bagali, Ningaraj Biradar, Basavaraj Bennur and others were present.
Published - September 10, 2024 08:08 pm IST
