Taking exception to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah describing the RSS and the BJP as being opposed to social justice, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashok on Wednesday posed a set of queries to him, including whether he was aware that the party had made a person from the OBC community the Prime Minister. Referring to the Chief Minister referring to the Congress and himself as harbingers of social justice, he wondered why the Congress did not project a Dalit leader like Mallikarjun Kharge as the prime ministerial candidate and why they opposed the candidature of Dalit leader Droupadi Murmu in the presidential elections. Also, it was well-known that the possibility of a Dalit becoming Chief Minister was prevented in Karnataka, he alleged. He questioned the claims of commitment to social justice of the Congress by pointing out that it was not the Congress, but the BJP-backed government that implemented Mandal Commission’s recommendations.

Source: The Hindu October 10, 2024 12:02 UTC