Demand cabinet berth for Dr H.C.Mahadevappa
Mysuru
Progressive and Dalit organisations, along with supporters of senior Congress legislator Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, staged a massive protest in the city on Thursday, condemning the decision not to induct him into the Cabinet headed by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
The protesters assembled before the statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar at the Town Hall and raised slogans demanding justice for Mahadevappa. They shouted slogans such as “Give him a ministerial berth,” “We want justice,” and “The struggle will not stop until he is made a Minister,” besides criticising the incumbent CM and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The protesters later took out a procession and formed a human chain at Chamaraja Wadiyar Circle, blocking traffic for some time and causing temporary disruption to vehicular movement.
The protesters said Mahadevappa was one of the senior-most Dalit leaders of the Congress and had played a significant role in the party’s victory in the 2023 Assembly elections. They alleged that despite his experience, administrative ability and stature, he had been deliberately ignored while forming the Cabinet.
They recalled his contributions as Public Works and Social Welfare Minister and said his effective implementation of SCSP-TSP funds had benefited the Dalit community. Denying him Cabinet representation, they alleged, amounted to an injustice to the community.
The protesters also accused Siddaramaiah of sidelining his long-time associates for political reasons and claimed that Mahadevappa had played a key role in retaining the support of the Dalit community for Siddaramaiah. The Congress high command to reconsider the decision and warned of a more intense agitation if Mahadevappa was not given Cabinet representation.
The protesters alleged that the Congress had repeatedly failed to adequately represent Dalit leaders, citing the political careers of Mallikarjun Kharge, G. Parameshwara and the late V. Sreenivasa Prasad. They said the Dalit community should not be treated merely as a vote bank and demanded meaningful political representation.
They warned that the party would face electoral consequences if the demand for representation to Mahadevappa, a senior leader from the Old Mysuru region, was ignored.
Former Mymul president R. Cheluvaraju, Devalapura Siddaraju, Maridevaiah, Tumbasoge Naganna, Chinnanna, Jnanaprakash, Basavaraju, Kumar Ontikoppalu, Ravi Kolaghatta and several others participated in the protest.
