Bengaluru: 4 days forward of the Karnataka elections, Sadananda Gowda, BJP’s north Bengaluru MP and former Vokkaliga chief minister, is assured that his social gathering will get extra seats in Bengaluru and Previous-Mysore area and retain energy within the state.
In an interview with ThePrint’s Shanker Arnimesh (SA), former Union minister Gowda (SG) spoke a few vary of points highlighted within the BJP’s marketing campaign — from Tipu Sultan to the Bajrang Dal being “equated to” the Fashionable Entrance of India (PFI) — and listed out the explanation why he thinks the BJP will win once more and the Congress’s ’40 per cent fee’ marketing campaign has no takers.
The Congress’s ’40 per cent fee’ allegation first triggered a row in April final 12 months following the demise of Belagavi-based contractor Santosh Patil. In a purported suicide be aware, Patil had accused former state minister and BJP chief Ok.S. Eshwarappa of demanding 40 per cent fee for a authorities mission.
Karnataka is ready to vote on 10 Could. Listed here are edited excerpts from the interview:
SA: Karnataka is BJP’s south India gateway. What’s the suggestions you might be getting from the bottom for the election marketing campaign?
SG: This election, I really feel that the response is sort of good. Throughout the state, individuals are ready to offer us a mandate — an absolute majority. Thus far, we by no means bought an absolute majority in Karnataka. With the assistance of turncoats becoming a member of the BJP, we shaped the federal government final time. Abhi aisa nahi hai (it’s not the identical now), we could have an absolute majority and win 130 of the 224 meeting seats in Karnataka.
SA: What are the elements that make you so assured?
SG: See, we dominated the state for eight years. In fact, there was division throughout the social gathering. When Yediyurappa left the social gathering in 2012, we did lose the following election.
For the previous three-and-half years, we’ve carried out extraordinarily effectively, particularly through the Covid interval. Even post-Covid time, final one and two years with the assistance of the central authorities led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and former CM B.S. Yediyurappa have labored very effectively.
We’ve by no means seen such good governance within the historical past of Karnataka. In the course of the election marketing campaign, the prime minister additionally stated that Karnataka was primary in giving Covid-assistance to affected individuals.
Even in different areas, just like the legislation and order scenario, for the reason that BJP has come to energy within the state there have been no severe problems with crime there. Persons are completely happy and secure.
We’ve additionally established community of prepare connectivity. The suburban railway and metro connectivity have been doubled. We’ve made 4 airports operational, and even Bengaluru worldwide airport has been upgraded.
SA: Even after such good work, you haven’t projected Bommai because the chief minister within the election. There’s a notion that the BJP authorities is corrupt. Even the Congres alleged that ’40 per cent’ corruption has turn out to be regular in Karnataka.
SG: Congress has no different agenda, no different difficulty for this election. It has dominated the state for practically 50 years, even the Janata Dal (Secular) has dominated for 13-14 years. We’ve been in energy within the state for eight years.
This time, we’ve performed particular drives forward of the elections and gone door-to-door to the voters and shared our report card the place we confirmed them the guarantees we’ve met. We requested them how a lot have the opposite events achieved. Now, the Congress and the JDS are dealing with a really harmful scenario throughout the state as they haven’t achieved a lot. How will the individuals imagine them?
So far as corruption is anxious, it’s barely an allegation. There may be Lokayukta in place, even you may file a criticism or place an actual allegation earlier than the general public.
I want to ask the Congress, even Rajiv Gandhi had stated that when Delhi launched Re 1, solely 15 paise reached the individuals, whereas 85 paise went to the middlemen. They have been ruling the state and the Centre at the moment, what did they do to finish corruption? No one will imagine these allegations.
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‘Tipu Sultan no hero’
SA: You may have began with Tipu Sultan and shifted to Bajrangbali. Are you pushing the ideological or the event agenda within the state?
SG: Each ideological and growth agendas ought to be there in our nation.
Our nation’s picture was tarnished. In the course of the time of Tipu Sultan, so many issues occurred that at the moment are tumbling out. The individuals of the state are rewriting historical past and every part that occurred prior to now is now coming to mild.
Tipu was projected as a hero in historical past. Are you aware what number of Hindus had been massacred by him and the variety of Hindus that have been compelled to transform to Kodagu (an ethno-linguistic group from the area of Kodagu) — all of this stuff at the moment are coming to mild.
Now, the individuals are saying he was not a hero. He betrayed the individuals of the nation, and sooner or later in time was even hand-in-gloves with the British. He was not even a patriot. He wished to avoid wasting his personal individuals from the fingers of the British. He wished to rule the nation by crudity, this isn’t acceptable in our nation.
And about Bajrang Dal. It is an organisation that promotes the curiosity of the Hindus not solely in Karnataka however throughout the nation. They don’t seem to be “terrorists” or “anti-national”, as claimed by the Congress in its manifesto. They assist promote the Hindu tradition. How can they (Congress) examine Bajrang Dal to PFI? Is Siddaramaiah not a Hindu, does D.Ok. Shivakumar not go to a temple to worship Hanuman? Bajrang Dal’s image is Hanuman, they (Congress) can’t equate it with PFI.
SA: BJP has invested in Previous Mysore area. What are your expectations? From Prime Minister to Yogi Adityanath, all are campaigning there. What’s your evaluation?
SG: I’m campaigning in these areas too. Yesterday (Friday), I used to be in Mysore. In my 35-year political profession, the response I see at present is solely completely different. Everyone is saying that the BJP is the one social gathering that’s actually working for the individuals. Modi is liked by everybody and the picture of our social gathering and leaders has grown. It will likely be transformed into votes and we’ll obtain our goal.
SA: Bengaluru has been profitable fewer seats. What’s your projection on this election, are you anticipating extra seats?
SG: This time, we’ll get greater than 18 seats out of the 28 seats. And this I can let you know with none hesitation. Even the Prime Minister is doing a street present. The individuals wish to assist a double-engine authorities — on the Centre and the state. Whether or not it’s a suburban railway or metro or sensible metropolis — all this stuff have boosted our hope.
Row surrounding Shettar
SA: Jagdish Shettar has left the BJP for Congress. Yediyurappa was sidelined. Will this stuff have an effect on the elections? Shettar has made an allegation in opposition to B.L. Santhosh saying is working the social gathering in Karnataka. What’s your stand?
SG: I don’t suppose so. Yediyurappa remains to be a number one face within the election alongside Bommai. Often, after we speak about Shettar and Laxman Savadi, after all, all people says a significant Lingayat face has left. However the true Lingayats are behind Chief Minister Bommai and behind Yediyurappaji.
These individuals have been offered all of the posts — Shettar was a chief minister, social gathering president, and Chief of the Opposition. Now, the social gathering desires to vary the demography of our management, so 92 new faces got the tickets.
SA: However Shettar is saying B.L. Santhosh is pushing Brahmin votes for the chief minister publish. What’s your response to this?
SG: There are two points — one, ’40 per cent’ fee. There isn’t a proof. One other is Brahminisim. I wish to ask Shettar, what’s the complete proportion of seats given to Brahmin, allow them to reply. It’s lower than double digits. If we have been highlighting Brahmins, then we might have carried out that.
Santhosh is a full-time pracharak. His entire life is devoted to the event of the nation. He’s the social gathering’s nationwide normal secretary. Merely blaming him is sort of unfair.
Forward of the ticket distribution, Shettar was within the core committee assembly, which I used to be additionally part of. There he was praising Santhosh for his efforts in organising booth-level organisations. How is it that after the announcement, he claims that Santhosh betrayed him.
The BJP’s central management did the identical factor in UP as effectively the place they denied a seat to deputy chief minister. In Gujarat, too, Vijay Rupani who was chief minister and Nitin Patel who was deputy CM have been denied tickets. Shettar was a six-time MLA, how lengthy can he proceed as a pacesetter? And with out giving the second line of management an opportunity, how can the social gathering develop?
SA: What’s the likelihood of a Vokkaliga turning into a chief minister?
SG: A legislature social gathering assembly can be held, and they’ll choose a pacesetter, because it occurred throughout my time or Yediyurappa’s and Bommai’s. Solely elected legislators will select their chief. There’s a course of within the social gathering to elect the chief.
SA: All of the surveys are giving an edge to Congress, what’s your tackle this?
SG: Asia Web has given 114 seats to BJP, Congress was given 80-90 seats. We’re far forward of them. It’s not true that each one surveys are giving an edge to Congress.
SA: What are your apprehensions about this election?
SG: Assurance and efficiency — these are the 2 points which can be evaluated by the voters. Identical to the Congress, we by no means stated “garibi hatao”. With this slogan, they received 3 times however garibi (poverty) has solely elevated.
We aren’t like that. What we stated through the election within the manifesto, 95 per cent of them have been met. This was additionally talked about in one of many information channels that did a survey which stated that the one social gathering that has fulfilled past 95 per cent of the guarantees made within the manifesto within the final 75 years in Karnataka was the BJP.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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