MYSURU: With the stir caused by cabinet expansion and allocation and reallocation of portfolios last week barely dying down, the ruling party is facing a fresh demand: the ST community wants Social Welfare Minister B Sriramulu appointed as Deputy Chief Minister.
The issue surfaced at the ST Morcha meet in Mysuru, when State BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel was addressing the executive meet. Kateel was speaking about the government giving special status to the ST community, when a BJP worker raised a slogan, demanding that the DyCM’s post be given to Sriramulu.
Unhappy with the demand, Kateel admonished the section of workers who raised the demand, telling them it was the state ST executive meeting, and they were part of the BJP, which is a disciplined party.
He said farmers were happy with the new farm laws, and those who had staged a protest in Bengaluru were “not farmers”. He charged the Congress of instigating the protest and playing politics on the street in the name of farmers. Recalling that the Congress manifesto mentions bringing in an amendment to the APMC Act, he said the party should explain its double stand and why it is opposing the laws.