TUMAKURU: Has the Kuruba community been ignored by the Congress in Tumakuru after their leader Siddaramaiah joined the party? “Yes,” say community leaders. “The Congress used to give tickets to community members, but for three consecutive Assembly polls, none of the community members were considered for any of the 11 Assembly constituencies in the district,” a party senior leader said.
He alleged that community leaders, including former MLA Lakappa, Kuruba Association leaders Bylappa, Suresh and others, were not given tickets for the polls. At a recent joint press conference, they alleged that senior leaders, including Dr G Parameshwara, TB Jayachandra and KN Rajanna, have not shown any interest in helping Kurubas develop a new generation of leaders.
“If it continues, the party has to face the wrath of the community in Sira, Tiptur and Chikkanayakanahalli Assembly segments, where it has a sizeable population,” they warned, adding that community members were not even considered for organisational posts. “We brought up the issue before KPCC president D K Shivakumar,” said Kanaka Yuva Sene leader Kemparaju.