• Source:JND
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Distraught over not being included in Modi cabinet 3.0, BJP’s Karnataka MP Ramesh Jigajinagi alleged he was not made a minister as the saffron party was 'anti-Vanchit'. Jigajinagi, who is also a big Vanchit leader, said most Union Ministers in Modi-led Cabinet were from upper castes, whereas Dalits not given preference.

Vijayapura MP Jigajinagi, while talking to the media on Tuesday, said, he was advised against joining the BJP as it was against the Vanchit leaders. "People's support is a necessity for me. But people scolded me badly when I came back(post the elections). Many Dalits argued with me about how the BJP is anti-Dalit, and that I should have known this before joining the party," he said.

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"A Dalit man like me is the lone person who has won seven elections in South India. All upper caste people hold Cabinet positions. Haven't Dalits ever supported the BJP? This has deeply pained me," he added.

72-year-old Jigajinagi was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1998. He won all elections since then. He also served as the Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation from 2016 and 2019.

 Notably, Modi government 3.0 has 29 OBC, 28 General, 10 SC, 5 ST as Ministers. As of Karnataka, JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, has been appointed as the Minister of Heavy Industries and Steel.

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Nirmala Sitharaman, who represents Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha, has once again been appointed as the Finance Minister, a significant position she held earlier.