BJP targets Congress after Mallikarjun Kharge recalls '99 CM 'missed chance'

BENGALURU: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge 's revelation that he was "denied" the Karnataka chief minister's post in 1999 has reignited debate over Dalit representation in the state's politics and triggered a sharp political crossfire.

Kharge said Sunday at a public event in Dharwad that he was passed over for the top post despite leading Congress Legislature Party during the 1999 assembly elections. SM Krishna was chosen instead. Kharge's comment drew immediate backlash from BJP and cautious responses from his own party.

"Kharge has now demanded to be made chief minister to clear a debt owed to him," said BJP's R Ashoka. "He's timed it perfectly - like hitting a ripe mango with a stone." Ashoka also took a swipe at the Congress brass, especially the Gandhi family, for sidelining Dalit politicians, and pointed out that Siddaramaiah, a JDS import, was made chief minister while Kharge, a lifelong Congress loyalist, was not.

BJP state president BY Vijayendra said Kharge had publicly expressed his "pain and disappointment," and accused Congress and its brass of doing injustice to Dalits. "Kharge has worked for 40-50 years. His remarks show how Congress, the Gandhi family, and Siddaramaiah have sidelined SC/ST communities," Vijayendra said.