Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy has urged Dalit leaders in the Congress to reject ministerial berths if the party high command does not offer the Chief Minister’s post to one of them.

Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on Wednesday, Mr. Narayanaswamy referred to the speculations over Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar replacing Siddaramaiah as the Chief Minister while accusing the Congress high command of “cheating” the Dalit community that has backed the party for almost eight decades since independence.

He wondered whether the Congress leaders in the State did not have the courage to demand the post. “If the Dalit leaders in the State have respect for B.R. Ambedkar, they should display their protest against the high command by not occupying any ministerial berth offered to them, he said.

Since the period of late Dalit leaders like B. Rachaiah, T. N. Narasimhamurthy and Srinivas Prasad from this part of the State and leaders like Basavalingappa and K. H. Ranganath to Mallikarjun Kharge and G. Parameshwar, the Congress has not made even one Dalit the State’s Chief Minister, he lamented.

Mr. Narayanaswamy claimed that the Congress had given into Mr. Shivakumar’s demands as he had started meeting BJP leaders.

Though he was not disappointed that Mr. Shivakumar, who was also his friend, is speculated to become the Chief Minister, Mr. Narayanaswamy said he is unable to remain silent when the community to which he belongs, is continued to be deprived of opportunities.

When asked if he would make a similar demand for a Dalit Chief Minister if the BJP comes to power in the State, Mr. Narayanaswamy claimed that the saffron party gives power to Dalits without asking. “It is only in the BJP that such miracles can happen,” he said.

Registrar pursuing PhD

Earlier, Mr. Narayanaswamy came down heavily on alleged maladministration in the University of Mysore including denial of scholarship to students.

He also took up the issue of the Registrar of University of Mysore M.K. Savitha enrolling herself for doctorate in the same University. “How can an official appointed as Registrar of the University do her PhD in the same University. She is pursuing her PhD in Geography under Prof. Bharathi as the guide,” he said.

“I am not saying she should not pursue her PhD. But, you are the Registrar of the University and the files come to you for signature,” he said.

The state of affairs in the University had deteriorated to such an extent that he will shortly be meeting Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, who is also the Chancellor of the University, in this regard.