Karnataka Dy CM should be a Muslim, demands Waqf board chief after Congress' win
Bengaluru/IBNS: Muslim leaders from Sunni Ulma Board have demanded Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister should be someone from their community after Congress ousted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state assembly elections, media reports said.
Waqf board chairman Shafi Sadi said as per media reports, "We already said before the elections that the Deputy Chief Minister should be a Muslim and 30 seats be given to us... We got 15 and among them nine Muslim candidates have won.
"In about 67-72 constituencies, the Congress won purely because of the Muslims. We, as a community, have given a lot to the Congress. Now it's time we get something in return."
"We want a Muslim deputy chief minister and five ministers with good portfolios like Home, Revenue, Education. It's the responsibility of the Congress to thank us with this. We held an emergency meeting in the Sunni Ulma board office to ensure all these are implemented," he added.
Taking a jibe at Congress, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya tweeted, "Secularism of the Congress kinds comes with a price. Looks like the Congress has gone overboard with its commitments, thinking they will never win, but unfortunately for them, their plans have gone awry."
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister should be a Muslim: Waqf board chief Shafi Sadi…
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) May 15, 2023
“…that 30 seats be given to us (to contest)… We got 15, and 9 Muslim candidates have won. In about 72 constituencies, the Congress won purely because of the Muslims. We, as a community, have… pic.twitter.com/f717DthdAQ
The nationally beleaguered Congress made a strong comeback in the south Indian state of Karnataka on Saturday winning 135 out of 224 seats, leaving 66 for the BJP and 19 for the JDS.
After the win that has boosted the morals of the grand old party, focus is now on who would become the Chief Minister with Congress facing a tough challenge to pick one between veteran Siddaramaiah and crisis manager DK Shivakumar or a third person.