Janata Dal (Secular) party chief and former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said that the party was open to having a Muslim Chief Minister if the party came to power independently. Speaking to the media at Kyaluru village in Kolar district on Tuesday, November 22, Kumaraswamy said the party was also open to the idea of having women and Dalit Deputy Chief Ministers and such discussions were only possible in JD(S). The former CM has been interacting with locals as a part of the Pancharatna yatra which began on November 18.
“Recently, CM Ibrahim gave a speech saying that if Kumaraswamy went to Delhi, then he himself might become CM. Our party is the only one which gives opportunities for such discussions. Muslims are also our people and citizens. They are Kannadigas. So there is no reason why a Muslim cannot become a CM. It is not the question of giving opportunity to one person, but the attempt to provide solutions to the problems of different communities,” he said.
The present BJP government in Karnataka is not willing to listen to the problems of Dalits or women, he said. “The BJP is conducting different conventions for different communities in various parts of the state. Even the Congress is preparing from conventions. But the promises being made by the two parties have no bearing on the ground social realities,” he said.
Referring to a recent incident in Chamarajanagar, where upper caste villagers cleaned a water tank with cow urine after a Dalit woman drank water from it, he said, “If we come to power independently, then we will respond to problems of the Dalit communities by making a Dalit as a Deputy CM,” he said.
The JD(S) flagged off the Pancharatna yatra on November 18 from Mulbagal of Kolar district. The yatra, which is expected to go for the next 30 days in its first phase, was finally kick-started after being postponed due to heavy rains. The party, which was supposed to announce candidates for 100 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections, on the opening day of the yatra, also put off the announcement on the advice of Kumaraswamy’s brother HD Revanna, who wanted to announce it on an auspicious day.