Senior BJP leader and Karnataka MP Ramesh Jigajinagi has openly voiced his dissatisfaction over not being included in the Union Cabinet. Jigajinagi, a prominent Dalit leader who has won seven consecutive parliamentary elections, expressed his concerns about the lack of representation for Dalits in the cabinet, which he also claimed was predominantly composed of upper-caste ministers.
In an interaction with the media in Bijapur, Jigajinagi highlighted the pressures from his constituents regarding his exclusion from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet. He recounted how many of his supporters were disappointed and felt that the BJP was neglecting Dalit representation.
Jigajinagi said: “I don’t need the cabinet post. I need people. When I returned back (to the constituency), many people cursed me. Several people argued with me that they had cautioned me about the BJP being anti-Dalit.”
“There is a pressure from the people (for the cabinet post). Is it justice or injustice? In the entire South India, I am the only Dalit leader to have been elected seven times (for the parliament). Everyone from the upper caste became (the cabinet ministers). Haven’t the Dalits supported the BJP? I am deeply in pain,” he said.
At 72, Jigajinagi's political career began with his first election to the Lok Sabha in 1998, followed by successive victories from Chikkodi and then Bijapur. He served as the Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation from 2016 to 2019.
Currently, there are four MPs who are part of the union cabinet from Karnataka including Pralhad Joshi, V Somanna, Shobha Karandlaje, all from BJP and HD Kumaraswamy of JD(S). In terms of representation, one Brahmin, one Lingayat and two Vokkaliga MPs have been inducted into the cabinet. In Karanataka, Lingayat and Vokkaliga are dominant caste groups.
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