Bengaluru: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dr. G. Parameshwara on Thursday called upon Congress workers to work hard for the success of Congress candidates in the Assembly elections.

“I want you to convince the voters to elect Congress candidates in the Assembly elections to bring Congress to power again. I do not want you to give importance to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders’ gimmicks of having breakfast at Dalits’ houses,’’ Parameshwara said after paying tributes to late Babu Jagajivan Ram at a function organised at the KPCC office.

He said that among the 224 seats, 51 seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes and Congress workers have to ensure the success of Congress candidates in all these seats in the next Assembly elections.

“We have to work unitedly to bring Congress to power again in the state,’’ he said.

Coming down heavily on BJP state president B.S. Yeddyurappa for indulging in gimmicks by having breakfast at Dalits’ homes, the KPCC president said the BJP leaders could not continue indulge in these gimmicks for a quite long time.

“Congress has provided food, shelter and other amenities for Dalits and downtrodden for the last 70 years. Now, BJP leaders came to know about the existence of Dalits. BJP leaders had breakfast, brought from a hotel, at Dalits’ homes. Yeddyurappa invited such Dalits for breakfast,’’ he said.

He said that Yeddyurappa removed the photo of Dr B.R. Ambedkar from his office on the very first day of assuming office as the Chief Minister. “They did not have photos of Jagajivan Ram and Ambedkar at the state BJP office when it was opened a few years ago,’’ he said.

He said Ambedkar and Jagajivan Ram fought for the rights of Dalits in pre-Independence era. “It is the result of their fight, Dalits and downtrodden are enjoying power in the country,’’ he said.

The KPCC president said change of a few District Congress Committee presidents has become inevitable. “It is not a new trend. Congress has been effecting changes in the leadership of District Congress Committees whenever it is required,’’ he said.

Refusing to comment on the Cabinet expansion, he said the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has to take a decision on it. “We have discussed about the issues in Chikkaballapur district and measures have taken to fix those problems,’’ he said.