It has been put on a pause for over a year, according to Public Works Minister
Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi has clarified that the demand for a Dalit Chief Minister in Karnataka is currently not under discussion. It has been put on a pause for over a year, he added.
Addressing the media in Kalaburagi on Sunday, Mr. Jarkiholi said that the matter may be seriously revisited and discussed during the 2028 State elections.
When questioned about the growing calls for a Dalit Chief Minister, Mr. Jarkiholi responded, “as of now, this issue is not in discussion within our party as we have put a full stop to it. Let us take it up seriously during the 2028 elections.”
He emphasised that the topic has not been active for the past year.
Responding to BJP leader H. Vishwanath’s recent remark suggesting a change in Chief Minister in November, Mr. Jarkiholi dismissed it outright, stating that Mr. Vishwanath is not a member of the Congress and hence, his statement holds no relevance.
“Why should I respond to comments made by someone from another party?” he questioned.
Taking a dig at the BJP’s repeated criticisms over the implementation of the Congress-led government’s guarantee schemes at the cost of development, Mr. Jarkiholi said that development projects and welfare schemes are going on hand-in-hand.
“The BJP has been claiming for two years that there is no development because of the guarantee schemes and they will continue to do so for the next three years. However, in reality, all development works are progressing effectively alongside the guarantee programmes,” he said, urging people to compare department allocations under the previous BJP government led by Basavaraj Bommai and the current government led by Siddaramaiah to understand the difference.
On the issue of GST compensation, the Minister criticised the Union government for withholding Karnataka’s dues.
“We contribute ₹2 lakh crore in GST to the Centre. At the very least half of that should be returned to the State. So far, we have received only ₹36,000 crore,” he said and added that Karnataka’s tax money is being diverted to fund infrastructure projects such as the Yamuna and Ganga expressways in States like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
“Our money is being used to build roads in other States,” he added.
Courtesy : The Hindu Bureau, The Hindu
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