Bengaluru, Feb 24: Alleging that there were attempts by some in the Congress to block the rise of Dalit leaders, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara Sunday claimed that he has thrice been denied the chief ministerial post, as he belonged to the community.

Speaking at a programme in Davangere, Parameshwara, a Dalit, said, "Basavalingappa missed the chief ministerial post and so did K H Ranganath.

My elder brother Mallikarjuna Kharge also could not become the chief minister... I missed it thrice.. Somehow after much dilemma they made me the deputy chief minister."

Parameshwara alleged that some people wanted to suppress him politically.

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Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.

The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).

"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.

The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.

The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.

Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.

They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.

Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.