Bengaluru, May 21 -- Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday publicly criticised Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's decision to include the Bedar Jangamas community, traditionally classified as OBCs, within the ambit of an ongoing survey of Scheduled Castes (SCs).
The rare public rebuke came during the "Samarpane Sankalpa" event held to mark the second anniversary of the Congress government in the state, and in the presence of senior leaders including Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar.
"If the intention is to uplift SCs, why include a community (Bedar Jangamas) whose primary classification lies with OBCs?" Kharge questioned, suggesting that such moves risk displacing genuine SC communities from the be...