With Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot issuing the sanction to prosecute Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the MUDA site allotment case, BJP members are demanding his resignation. Congress, on the other hand, is blaming the Centre and governor for allegedly misusing their powers. Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, in conversation with TNIE, said Siddaramaiah will not complete his full term in office. “Congress sees Dalits as their vote bank. It has made ministers from these communities, but not a CM,’’ he said.
You switched from Congress to BJP and now you are Leader of Opposition in the Council. Was it expected?
I was with Congress for 40 years, but did not like many of Congress’ policies. But I felt one should stick with a single party. After spending many years, I realised that I had no future there. That was when I decided to change my path. In BJP, leaders recognised my capacity and gave me a new responsibility.
Many say BJP is anti-Dalit, anti-Ambedkar and anti-reservation. How are you convincing people?
That’s my job to reach out to the public and convince them. I want to ask people if BJP ever insulted Ambedkar. Places of importance related to Ambedkar have been developed into monuments of international standards, including his school, birthplace and also where he is laid to rest. In Karnataka, it was the BJP government that increased the reservation for SC/STs. PM Narendra Modi termed the Parliament building as a temple for the Constitution. BJP is neither anti-Constitution nor anti-Dalit. On one hand, Siddaramaiah issued an order that Ambedkar’s portrait be kept in every government function. But on the other, over Rs 25,000 crore allocated for SC/STs was diverted. Congress speaks so much about protecting the Constitution, but it changed and amended Ambedkar’s Constitution. But Congress spread the message that if BJP comes to power, it would change the Constitution. Congress is trying to widen the gap between BJP and Dalits. This is where they are using Ambekar’s name.
Do you think Congress has given justice to these communities?
Congress has always given representation to these communities in their cabinet. This is because of the vote bank. Making them ministers is different, making them CM is something else. Ministers have limitations, but not CM. There has always been a fight in Congress to make a Dalit a CM, but it has not happened. Siddaramaiah joined Congress in September 2006 and he was made CM in just six years but not a Dalit. This indicates that Dalits are just a vote bank. The party does not want Dalits to prosper. I believe that Congress resorts to injustice by expressing false sympathies. Before elections, the party did a yatra to safeguard the Constitution which was limited only to slums. It did not cover areas like Malleswaram, Jayanagar and Sadashivanagar. This too indicates that Congress was trying to consolidate Dalit votes. As a Dalit, I object to such double standards.
Do you think the Dalit movement has disintegrated?
Dalit organisations have split and many leaders have floated new ones. The movement has lost its strength. There are few good people still fighting for justice. I met about 140 organisations and asked them why they object to BJP and not Congress, to which they had no answer. Congress has tutored them against BJP for so long that they object.
BJP has been majorly dominated by two castes. Will an eligible Dalit leader be made a CM?
We see the same discussion in all parties. The Congress high command stood firm in making DK Shivakumar the Deputy Chief Minister, but did not think of appointing a Dalit as DCM. But BJP, when it came to power the second time, made Govind Karjol a DCM. This gives hope.
Do you say the CM is directly involved in the MUDA scam?
In my opinion, yes. Without his knowledge, nothing would have taken place. Even ministers try for land denotification, but it does not happen. Siddaramaiah should reveal whether the denotification happened under his influence. After coming to power in 2013, he cannot claim that the issue did come to his notice. There were four meetings in MUDA and it was decided that sites cannot be given to them. The CM named Dhruva Kumar the MUDA chairman, and the latter convinced all the members. In the fifth meeting, they decided to give the land to the CM’s family. Once the resolution was passed, he could have bought the land, but why did he not purchase the land till 2020? In 2018, he lost his mandate and under Kumaraswamy’s tenure, he did not claim the sites despite the resolution. He kept quiet as he knew Kumaraswamy could create problems. Later when Yediyurappa became CM, officers appointed during Siddaramaiah’s tenure misguided the ministers and gave Siddaramaiah’s family the sites. Now Siddaramaiah says the land was given to him during the BJP tenure.
Siddaramaiah says he is not involved in the case and there is no question of resigning.
He won’t last long as CM, and if he is stubborn, he can push it for some more time. But law will take its course. All I can say is that Siddaramaiah will not complete his full term in office.
What is BJP’s next course of action?
Our padayatra from Bengaluru to Mysuru was successful. We are discussing to launch another padayatra in North Karnataka where the ST community population is predominant in Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Vijayanagara, Chitradurga and Davanagere districts. The padayatra will convey the message to the people that the money meant for their welfare is being swindled. We are also thinking of a legal remedy by approaching the court.
What else does BJP want in the Valmiki scam? SIT is already investigating and arrests have been made...
The House was adjourned when we wanted a discussion. Instead of replying to the House, where all proceedings are recorded, the CM addressed the media by sharing only the details he wanted to. The government says it is recovering the money involved in the scam. But what we demand is not just recovery, but punishment for those involved. The government is trying to cover up the scam by not naming former minister B Nagendra and others. They are trying to fix officials and get a clean chit. There are also doubts over the death of a police inspector in Yadgir. He was a clean officer and he was under pressure to pay a bribe of Rs 30 lakh to continue in his post. MLAs cannot recommend transfers and action can be taken if they do so.
Do you think SC/ST votes will shift to BJP in future polls?
These communities too have become intelligent. In the 2019 LS polls, over 50 per cent of Dalits voted for BJP, which was why we won 25 seats. But in 2024, Congress gave packages to certain Dalit organisations and got them to campaign for the party. Later, the organisations realised that Congress backstabbed them. Now after BJP launched a protest against the diversion of SC/ST funds for guarantees, they too have started protests. BJP has made me the LoP, and Dalits will notice this and shift to BJP.
There seems to be opposition within the party against state party chief BY Vijayendra’s leadership...
He getting the top post at a young age has embarrassed the seniors who have contributed to build the party for decades. It is quiet but natural. There are some leaders within the party who play the opposition’s role. Their role is to alert if there are mistakes.
The Congress government has said it will expose scams that happened during the BJP government...
It’s welcome. The CM had said 21 scams of the BJP government would be exposed, but we are now revealing the scams of the present government. This means he did not work effectively when he was the opposition leader. I ask Siddaramaiah not to indulge in blackmail politics. He should not have issued such statements, but got the investigation done. Let those who committed mistakes go to jail.
What is your opinion on the recent Supreme Court verdict on classification of SC quota ?
In 2000, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, based on a one-man commission’s report, decided to classify the SC quota as A, B, C and D. But it was questioned by PV Rao in the Supreme Court which gave a verdict that the state has no powers to divide the SC quota as it is not a state subject and the decision should be taken in Parliament. Scheduled Caste is not a caste, but castes brought under the Schedule to give weightage. In Karnataka, the SM Krishna government set up the AJ Sadashiva commission and the funds were given for the survey when Yediyurappa was CM. The commission recommended quota division, but Congress did not act on it. The Basavaraj Bommai-led government proposed it to the Centre which was waiting for the Supreme Court’s verdict. Now, the Supreme Court judgment says the amendment to the Constitution is not required and the states can take decisions on classification of the quota. The Congress government in Karnataka should decide. The central cabinet has already decided that it will not implement the creamy layer.