Former Union Minister and Congress MLC C.M. Ibrahim on Saturday said he would resign from the membership of the Legislative Council on February 14 and launch “ALINGO” (an acronym for Alpasankhyata, Lingayat, and Gowda communities) movement to counter AHINDA (an acronym for Alpasankhyata, Hindulidavaru, and Dalit) of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah “to teach a fitting lesson” to the Congress in the State.
Mr. Ibrahim said he would join one of the three parties - Janata Dal (Secular), Samajwadi Party, or Trinamool Congress. Mr. Ibrahim, who met former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy a few days ago and held talks, said he had not yet decided on joining the JD(S).
Denied post
Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Ibrahim, who decided to quit the Congress after he was denied the Leader of the Opposition post in the Council, said the Congress leaders have a tendency to believe that Muslims have no other option but to vote for the Congress in the elections.
“Knowing well that they would not vote for the BJP, the Congress had been denying proper representation to Muslim leaders in the party and positions in the government,” Mr. Ibrahim alleged. The State has 21% of the Muslim population and the Congress Government led by Mr. Siddaramaiah denied not only funds but also positions to Muslim leaders, he alleged.
Meagre amount
The Siddaramaiah-led Government allocated ₹30,000 crore per year for Dalits, who constituted less than Muslim population in the State, he said. Though Muslim leaders had sought substantial funds for welfare of the community, the Government had denied it and allocated a meagre amount during 2013-18, he alleged.
Mr. Siddaramaiah won the byelections in the Chamundi constituency soon after he quit the JD(S) by a slender margin of 250 votes. He won in the Badami constituency by 1,250 votes in 2018. The former Chief Minister would have lost both elections if I had not supported him, Mr. Ibrahim claimed.
