‘Concern for Dalits should come from the bottom of one’s heart’

For Congress leaders, eating in Dalit houses is so normal: S.R. Patil

S.R. Patil

MLC and newly appointed working president in charge of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee North Karnataka S.R. Patil has criticised BJP State president B.S. Yeddyurappa calling his decision to have food in houses of Dalits as a mere political gimmick.

“Why he is making eating in the houses of Dalits a special event. Is he trying to show that by eating in the houses of Dalits, he is doing some favour to Dalits. For Congress leaders, eating with Dalits is so normal. They come to our houses and we go to their houses, for us it is part of our life, but Mr. Yeddyurappa wants to show as if he is doing something unique,” Mr. Patil said.

Addressing presspersons in the party office here on Sunday, he said that concern for the Dalits and oppressed classes should come from the bottom of one’s heart and it should not become a mere show business. He wondered where this concern of Mr. Yeddyurappa’s for Dalits was there in the last four years.

“With election less than a year away, the BJP is doing all these gimmicks which will not work,” Mr. Patil said.

The former Minister also criticised the former Chief Minister and Janata Dal (S) State president H.D. Kumaraswamy for his new-found concern for North Karnataka region.

Mr. Patil said that for four years, he hardly visited North Karnataka region, and now when Assembly elections are nearing, he has rented a house in Hubballi to tour North Karnataka. “Shedding crocodile tears for North Karnataka now will not help him win votes here,” he added. Admitting that winning most of the seats in North Karnataka region was crucial for the Congress to form the government again, he said that history shows that whenever the Congress has won fewer seats in the region, it has not been able to form the government in the State.

Mr. Patil was candid in admitting that he had greater responsibility in getting the highest number of seats from the region to help the Congress retain power in 2018.

To a question, he made it clear that veteran MLA Shivananda Patil will not quit the party and will contest on Congress ticket only.