Bengaluru: Former chief minister of Karnataka and leader of the Janata Dal (Secular) party HD Kumaraswamy stated that the party would be open to having a Muslim as chief minister if the party gained independent power. On Tuesday, November 22, Kumaraswamy told the reporters at Kyaluru village in Kolar district that the party was also open to the concept of having women and Dalit Deputy Chief Ministers and that such discussions were only conceivable in JD (S). As part of the Pancharatna yatra, which got underway on November 18, the former CM has been interacting with villagers.
"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 the opportunity to one person, but the attempt to provide solutions to the problems of different communities," he said, the News Minute reported.
He claimed that the current BJP-led government in Karnataka was unwilling to hear about the issues of Dalits or women. "The BJP is conducting different conventions for different communities in various parts of the state. Even Congress is preparing for conventions. But the promises being made by the two parties have no bearing on the ground social realities," he said.
He mentioned a recent occurrence in Chamarajanagar where higher caste villagers used cow urine to clean a water tank after a Dalit woman drank from it and 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.
On November 18, the Pancharatna yatra was flagged off by the JD(S) in the Kolar district's Mulbagal. After being delayed due to heavy rains, the yatra, which is anticipated to last for the next 30 days in its initial phase, was eventually launched. The party delayed the announcement on the advice of Kumaraswamy's brother HD Revanna, who wanted to make it on an auspicious day. The party was scheduled to announce candidates for 100 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections on the first day of the yatra.