Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Apr 3: Former deputy chief minister of Karnataka, R Ashoka from BJP, predicted that president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), Dr G Parameshwar, will be shown the door by Congress leadership after April 10.
Ashoka said that the letter asking Parameshwar to step down from his post has been prepared and dispatch of this letter is the only process that is pending to be executed before Parameshwar exits.
He said that Congress has kept this letter on hold now as Nanjangudu constituency which is going to bypoll on April 9 has a sizable dalit population. He pointed out that Congress has been emerging as a prominently anti-dalit party, going by the way leaders like former minister, V Srinivas Prasad, and Parameshwar, are being treated by it. Ashoka blamed Siddaramaiah for these developments.
R Ashoka
Dr G Parameshwar
"When demand for a dalit chief minister for Karnataka was gaining support within the party a year back, Srinivas Prasad and Parameshwar were the candidates who were in the forefront. Then Siddaramaiah dropped Prasad from the ministry. Now he is trying to distance Parameshwar from corridors of power. If what I am saying is untrue, let Siddaramaiah openly state that Parameshwar is not being removed from the post of KPCC president," Ashoka stated.
Ashoka said Siddaramaiah lacks the quality of being grateful. "When he was removed from JD(S) by Deve Gowda, Siddaramaiah was virtually on the streets. Vishwanath brought him to Congress, and he is suffering the consequences now, having lost his stature and standing in the party. Siddaramaiah would have lost in the by-poll conducted to Chamundeshwari constituency after he crossed over to Congress but for the efforts of Srinivas Prasad. After winning, he sidelined Prasad too, he alleged.
Ashoka said that BJP is sure to win both Nanjangudu and Gundlupet constituencies which are going to bypoll shortly, in spite of all out efforts being made by Congress to woo the voters by misusing power and distributing cash and liquor.
He stated that Congress has paled in the recent past with various leaders including S M Krishna, Jayaprakash Hegde and Kumar Bangarappa having deserted it. He said that statements being made by veteran Congress leaders like Jaffer Shariff, Janardhana Poojary and M V Rajashekaran have been supporting this notion and even national leader of the party, P Chidambaram, has criticized the party leadership for failing to make effort to properly build the party during the last ten years.