"Will be the happiest person if Kharge is made KTK CM": BJP MP

As Congress and JDS leaders in Karnataka made hectic efforts to mollify its rebel legislators and save the coalition government, a BJP MP Saturday said he would be the happiest person if arch rival Mallikarjun Kharge is made Chief Minister.

"I will welcome it. If a Dalit becomes chief minister, I will be the happiest person," said BJP MP Umesh Jadhav who defeated Kharge in the Lok Sabha election from Gulbarga.

His statement comes against the backdrop of the political imbroglio in the State following the resignation of 16 disgruntled coalition MLAs and speculation that some of them want somebody else as chief minister other than H D Kumaraswamy to resolve the crisis.

A section of dalit leaders in the Congress were reportedly clamouring to be made the CM from one among them.

The BJP MP also maintained that it was not he but the people of Gulbarga who defeated Kharge.

Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had recently lashed out at the BJP for not inducting a Dalit MP from Karnataka in the Union Cabinet, saying "upliftment" of the community will not happen just by "talking big."