Dalit leaders of the Janata Dal (Secular) on Thursday, 22 October demanded the resignation of Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge, holding him morally responsible for the alleged humiliation of three Dalit ministers during the Mysuru Dasara and Jamboo Savari celebrations. The demand was made at a press conference held at JP Bhavan, the JD(S) headquarters in Bengaluru.

The Alleged Incident at Mysuru Dasara

Former legislators K. Annadani, Ashwin Kumar, Nisarga Narayanaswamy, Srinivasa Murthy, and Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy alleged that lapses in protocol and security arrangements resulted in police obstructing and insulting Karnataka ministers Narendra Swamy, Shivaraj Tangadagi, and K.S. Basavanthappa — all three from the Dalit community. The JD(S) leaders argued that the incident was not an isolated lapse but a deliberate act of institutional disrespect.

Former T. Narasipur MLA Ashwin Kumar questioned whether the police had acted on instructions from Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who was reportedly walking ahead when the ministers were stopped. Kumar alleged that the Chief Minister's failure to intervene had caused the ministers 'considerable anguish' and directly demanded that Priyank Kharge accept moral responsibility and step down as Home Minister.

Broader Allegations Against the Congress Government

The JD(S) leaders drew a sharp contrast between what they described as the Congress leadership's public rhetoric on social equality and its alleged conduct in power. They pointed out that Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge, regularly invoke the Constitution and speak about secularism and the rights of marginalised communities — yet the Karnataka government had allegedly allowed Dalit ministers to be publicly humiliated at a high-profile state event.

Former MLA and JD(S) state president for the Scheduled Caste category, K. Annadani, also raised questions about an alleged sting operation targeting former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, calling it a 'black mark on Karnataka.' He questioned why police had not registered a suo motu case against the private Kannada channel owner allegedly responsible, while reportedly acting swiftly in lesser offences. Annadani charged that the Home Minister's silence on the matter was telling: 'Perhaps the government itself has been stung. That may be why the Home Minister is silent.'

KPSC Scam Allegations and Kharge Family in the Crosshairs

Annadani accused Priyank Kharge of deflecting from allegations raised by Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy concerning the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) scam. He alleged that Kumaraswamy had submitted documents supporting his claims and challenged the Home Minister to respond to those documents rather than changing the subject.

Annadani went further, alleging that Priyank Kharge had twice been made a minister by capitalising on the political legacy of his father, Mallikarjun Kharge, and on Dalit representation. He also questioned what the minister had done concretely for the Dalit community, contrasting him with Kumaraswamy, whom he claimed had stayed in a Dalit household within a week of becoming Chief Minister to better understand the community's concerns.

Former Devanahalli MLA Nisarga Narayanaswamy alleged that the Kharge family had prioritised the political advancement of its own members at the expense of other Dalit leaders, questioning why prominent Dalit leaders such as Anekal Shivanna and Bangarpet Narayanaswamy had been denied ministerial positions despite Mallikarjun Kharge having twice served as a minister in Karnataka before becoming AICC president.

JD(S) Cites Its Own Record on Dalit Welfare

Several speakers credited former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy with pioneering initiatives such as the Ganga Kalyana scheme and reservations in zilla and taluk panchayats. Annadani noted that Deve Gowda had appointed a Dalit youth as zilla panchayat president in Hassan and that several of the JD(S) leaders present at the press conference had themselves entered the Assembly with the backing of Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy.

The press conference was also attended by former Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy and former Nelamangala MLA Srinivasa Murthy, among others. This comes amid a broader political battle in Karnataka where caste dynamics have increasingly shaped the Congress-JD(S) rivalry ahead of future electoral cycles. The episode signals that the opposition intends to press the Dalit insult narrative hard in the weeks ahead.