At an event organized by the Chalavadi community in Davangere on Sunday, Congress MLA Prasad Abbayya urged the party to have staged a larger protest after the AICC chairman Mallikarjun Kharge was insulted during a purification ritual in Haldwani. Abbayya, a Dalit leader from Hubballi, said the Congress government in Karnataka should have responded more forcefully to the incident.
Abbayya described Kharge as a mass leader whose integrity and pro‑public efforts have earned him a clean image that transcends caste. He called the right‑wing forces’ actions a “grave offence against the constitutional principle of equality” and an insult to all Indian citizens. The MLA expressed disappointment that the party did not protest adequately and called for a united stand against such assaults.
During the same gathering, former minister H.C. Mahadevappa highlighted the primacy of ideology over power, citing his own past statements that power is “like the chappals I wear.” He also recalled the expulsion of former chief minister Siddaramaiah from JD(S) and his subsequent refusal to return to the party, underscoring his commitment to ideology. Dr. Mahadevappa praised B.R. Ambedkar’s role in securing democracy and urged all marginalized communities to remain united.
Minister K.S. Basavantappa spoke of outsourcing agencies exploiting pourakarmikas, pledging strict measures and proposing an award in the name of former minister B. Basavalingappa to honour the manual scavenging ban. He called on Dalit associations to unite as true Ambedkarites. The event was inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and attended by several community leaders, including Sri Jnana Prakasha Swamiji, former Minister H.C. Mahadevappa, Minister K.S. Basavantappa, Prabha Mallikarjun, MLA Samarth Shamanur, and other community leaders.
