Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Feb 29: Senior Congress leader, C K Jaffer Sharief, has mooted suggestion for replacing the chief minister (CM) with a person from dalit community. He also suggested names of Mallikarjun Kharge and G Parameshwar as able candidates from this community for this post.
This salvo has been fired by Sharief at a time when the CM camp is beleaguered by issues like defeat of party candidate from Hebbal constituency in assembly bypoll, wrist watch fiasco, and unsatisfactory performance in taluk and zilla panchayat elections. It is said that the Congress is preparing to send Karnataka in-charge of party affairs, Digvijay Singh, to the state for collecting opinions from state leaders and submit a report thereof to the party high command, sensing that the opposition might capitalize on the wrist watch issue during the assembly session beginning on Monday.
Speaking in the city on Sunday, Jaffer Sharief had said that the state had got chief ministers from various communities, but candidates from dalit and minority communities had not become CM of the state so far. He added that the people want a dalit CM for the state. His comments, coming in the backdrop of the recent comments of All India Congress Committee general secretary, Hariprasad, who had echoed similar sentiments, have created a sense of discomfort in the camp loyal to the CM.
Sharief said that most of the cabinet ministers in the state hail from Mysuru region, and there are allegations that the CM gives more importance to their suggestions. He had asked the CM to take all leaders together, make use of efficient and honest officers, and use both power and intelligent strategies for providing efficient administration.
In the meanwhile, sensing that the party high command was not happy at the way the wrist watch issue was handled, the CM and his confidants held prolonged meeting extending up to three hours in the city on Sunday. It is said that the meeting decided to submit a detailed report on the wrist watch issue, tackling it from both political and legal angles. The CM hopes that this report would satisfy the party high command.