Bengaluru: Four days ahead of the Karnataka elections, Sadananda Gowda, BJP’s north Bengaluru MP and former Vokkaliga chief minister, is confident that his party will get more seats in Bengaluru and Old-Mysore region and retain power in the state.
In an interview with ThePrint’s Shanker Arnimesh (SA), former Union minister Gowda (SG) spoke about a range of issues highlighted in the BJP’s campaign — from Tipu Sultan to the Bajrang Dal being “equated to” the Popular Front of India (PFI) — and listed out reasons why he thinks the BJP will win again and the Congress’s ’40 per cent commission’ campaign has no takers.
The Congress’s ’40 per cent commission’ allegation first triggered a row in April last year following the death of Belagavi-based contractor Santosh Patil. In a purported suicide note, Patil had accused former state minister and BJP leader K.S. Eshwarappa of demanding 40 per cent commission for a government project.
Karnataka is set to vote on 10 May. Here are edited excerpts from the interview:
SA: Karnataka is BJP’s south India gateway. What is the feedback you are getting from the ground for the election campaign?
SG: This election, I feel that the response is quite good. Across the state, people are prepared to give us a mandate — an absolute majority. So far, we never got an absolute majority in Karnataka. With the help of turncoats joining the BJP, we formed the government last time. Abhi aisa nahi hai (it is not the same now), we will have an absolute majority and win 130 of the 224 assembly seats in Karnataka.
SA: What are the factors that make you so confident?
SG: See, we ruled the state for eight years. Of course, there was division within the party. When Yediyurappa left the party in 2012, we did lose the subsequent election.
For the past three-and-half years, we have done extremely well, especially during the Covid period. Even post-Covid time, last one and two years with the help of the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and former CM B.S. Yediyurappa have worked very well.
We have never seen such good governance in the history of Karnataka. During the election campaign, the prime minister also said that Karnataka was number one in giving Covid-assistance to affected people.
Even in other areas, like the law and order situation, since the BJP has come to power in the state there have been no serious issues of crime there. People are happy and safe.
We have also established a good network of train connectivity. The suburban railway and metro connectivity have been doubled. We have made four airports operational, and even Bengaluru international airport has been upgraded.
SA: Even after such good work, you have not projected Bommai as the chief minister in the election. There is a perception that the BJP government is corrupt. Even the Congres alleged that ’40 per cent’ corruption has become normal in Karnataka.
SG: Congress has no other agenda, no other issue for this election. It has ruled the state for nearly 50 years, even the Janata Dal (Secular) has ruled for 13-14 years. We have been in power in the state for eight years.
This time, we have conducted special drives ahead of the elections and gone door-to-door to the voters and shared our report card where we showed them the promises we have met. We asked them how much have the other parties achieved. Now, the Congress and the JDS are facing a very dangerous situation across the state as they haven’t achieved much. How will the people believe them?
As far as corruption is concerned, it is barely an allegation. There is Lokayukta in place, even you can file a complaint or place a real allegation before the public.
I would like to ask the Congress, even Rajiv Gandhi had said that when Delhi released Re 1, only 15 paise reached the people, while 85 paise went to the middlemen. They were ruling the state and the Centre at that time, what did they do to end corruption? Nobody will believe these allegations.
Also Read: ‘Humiliated, treated as use & throw’: Denied ticket, former Karnataka CM Shettar quits BJP
‘Tipu Sultan no hero’
SA: You have started with Tipu Sultan and shifted to Bajrangbali. Are you pushing the ideological or the development agenda in the state?
SG: Both ideological and development agendas should be there in our country.
Our country’s image was tarnished. During the time of Tipu Sultan, so many things happened that are now tumbling out. The people of the state are rewriting history and everything that happened in the past is now coming to light.
Tipu was projected as a hero in history. Do you know how many Hindus had been massacred by him and the number of Hindus that were forced to convert to Kodagu (an ethno-linguistic group from the region of Kodagu) — all of these things are now coming to light.
Now, the people are saying he was not a hero. He betrayed the people of the country, and at some point in time was even hand-in-gloves with the British. He was not even a patriot. He wanted to save his own people from the hands of the British. He wanted to rule the country by crudity, this is not acceptable in our country.
And about Bajrang Dal. It is an organisation that promotes the interest of the Hindus not only in Karnataka but across the country. They are not “terrorists” or “anti-national”, as claimed by the Congress in its manifesto. They help promote the Hindu culture. How can they (Congress) compare Bajrang Dal to PFI? Is Siddaramaiah not a Hindu, does D.K. Shivakumar not go to a temple to worship Hanuman? Bajrang Dal’s symbol is Hanuman, they (Congress) can’t equate it with PFI.
SA: BJP has invested in Old Mysore region. What are your expectations? From Prime Minister to Yogi Adityanath, all are campaigning there. What is your assessment?
SG: I am campaigning in those areas too. Yesterday (Friday), I was in Mysore. In my 35-year political career, the response I see today is entirely different. Everybody is saying that the BJP is the only party that is really working for the people. Modi is loved by everyone and the image of our party and leaders has grown. It will be converted into votes and we will achieve our target.
SA: Bengaluru has been winning fewer seats. What is your projection in this election, are you expecting more seats?
SG: This time, we will get more than 18 seats out of the 28 seats. And this I can tell you without any hesitation. Even the Prime Minister is doing a road show. The people want to support a double-engine government — at the Centre and the state. Whether it is a suburban railway or metro or smart city — all these things have boosted our hope.
Row surrounding Shettar
SA: Jagdish Shettar has left the BJP for Congress. Yediyurappa was sidelined. Will these things affect the elections? Shettar has made an allegation against B.L. Santhosh saying is running the party in Karnataka. What is your stand?
SG: I don’t think so. Yediyurappa is still a leading face in the election alongside Bommai. Usually, when we talk about Shettar and Laxman Savadi, of course, everybody says a major Lingayat face has left. But the real Lingayats are behind Chief Minister Bommai and behind Yediyurappaji.
These people were provided all the posts — Shettar was a chief minister, party president, and Leader of the Opposition. Now, the party wants to change the demography of our leadership, so 92 new faces were given the tickets.
SA: But Shettar is saying B.L. Santhosh is pushing Brahmin votes for the chief minister post. What is your reaction to this?
SG: There are two issues — one, ’40 per cent’ commission. There is no evidence. Another is Brahminisim. I want to ask Shettar, what is the total percentage of seats given to Brahmin, let them answer. It is less than double digits. If we were highlighting Brahmins, then we would have done that.
Santhosh is a full-time pracharak. His whole life is dedicated to the development of the country. He is the party’s national general secretary. Simply blaming him is quite unfair.
Ahead of the ticket distribution, Shettar was in the core committee meeting, which I was also a part of. There he was praising Santhosh for his efforts in setting up booth-level organisations. How is it that after the announcement, he claims that Santhosh betrayed him.
The BJP’s central leadership did the same thing in UP as well where they denied a seat to deputy chief minister. In Gujarat, too, Vijay Rupani who was chief minister and Nitin Patel who was deputy CM were denied tickets. Shettar was a six-time MLA, how long can he continue as a leader? And without giving the second line of leadership a chance, how can the party grow?
SA: What is the chance of a Vokkaliga becoming a chief minister?
SG: A legislature party meeting will be held, and they will select a leader, as it happened during my time or Yediyurappa’s and Bommai’s. Only elected legislators will choose their leader. There is a process in the party to elect the leader.
SA: All the surveys are giving an edge to Congress, what is your take on this?
SG: Asia Net has given 114 seats to BJP, Congress was given 80-90 seats. We are far ahead of them. It is not true that all surveys are giving an edge to Congress.
SA: What are your apprehensions about this election?
SG: Assurance and performance — these are the two issues which will be evaluated by the voters. Just like the Congress, we never said “garibi hatao”. With this slogan, they won three times but garibi (poverty) has only increased.
We are not like that. What we said during the election in the manifesto, 95 per cent of them have been met. This was also mentioned in one of the news channels that did a survey which said that the only party that has fulfilled beyond 95 per cent of the promises made in the manifesto in the last 75 years in Karnataka was the BJP.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)