The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : AHIND leaders rebuke Jayakumar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 27, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

AHIND leaders rebuke Jayakumar

Staff Reporter

Tourism Minister accused of betraying Siddaramaiah to please Deve Gowda

BANGALORE: AHIND (Alpasankhyatara, Hindulidavara mathu Dalitara Okkoota), a new federation of minorities, backward classes and Dalits, has warned Tourism Minister D.T. Jayakumar against attacking Siddaramaiah and said the consequences of making unsubstantiated statements against the former Deputy Chief Minister would be serious for him.

One of the AHIND leaders, N.V. Narasimhaiah, told presspersons here on Friday that Mr. Jayakumar, who was once totally against Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Deve Gowda, is today betraying Mr. Siddaramaiah in order to remain in the good books of Mr. Gowda.

`Scaling political ladder'

Mr. Jayakumar, who stood beside Mr. Siddaramaiah during the 2004 election campaign and canvassed for votes, perhaps did not know then that he is "casteist, selfish and arrogant." Prof. Narasimhaiah said Mr. Jayakumar's utterances now are proof that he is trying to scale the political ladder by trying to please Mr. Gowda.

Since Mr. Jayakumar owed his political career to Mr. Siddaramaiah, who had pleaded his cause with Mr. Gowda, it is unseemly on his part to call the former Deputy Chief Minister arrogant. Perhaps this is a new strategy among friends-turned-foes of Mr. Siddaramaiah to indulge in Siddaramaiah-bashing, another AHIND member, Somu, president of the Karnataka State Dalits, Backward Classes and Minorities Coordination Committee, said.

`Bid to break unity'

The AHIND leaders accused Mr. Jayakumar of plotting to break the unity of the federation's constituents and warned that if he does not stop such activities, the Dalits and Mr. Siddaramaiah's vote bank would be mobilised against him, and he would lose his support base. In any case, it was Mr. Siddaramaiah's "gift to him," for which he ought to be grateful, and not turn against him, they said.

They claimed that the major political parties are unable to accept that the Hubli and Tumkur rallies were successful and widely attended despite a fiat from the leadership to stay away. The prospect of their vote bank vanishing is making them indulge in moves to break AHIND, but they would not be allowed to get away with it, the leaders said.

AHIND is planning a meeting in Hassan soon to come up with a comprehensive strategy to take the movement forward, they said.

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