‘Won’t ally with any party even if there is a hung assembly’

HD KUMARASWAMY, Former Karnataka CM and JD(S) state president

BENGALURU: With the Karnataka assembly elections around the corner, initial media reports and opinion polls have projected a hung assembly in the state.

Given that possibility, all eyes are on the Janata Dal (Secular) and its likely pre-poll moves. Former chief minister and JD(S) state president HD Kumaraswamy told Hindustan Times’

Vikram Gopal that his party will no longer play the kingmaker’s role, rather it will get a majority on its own and form the next government.

Excerpts from the interview:

How do you assess the performance of the ruling Siddaramaiah government?

This is the most corrupt government the state has ever seen but they are also experienced in hiding that corruption. If there is a proper investigation into allegations of corruption, the current chief minister will not last even a single day.

The previous BJP government, too, had charges of corruption against it. Are you saying this government is more corrupt?

Karnataka was known for its good governance. After the BJP came to power, they laid the foundation for bad administration. The Congress has built on this foundation.

There is also a case against you for illegally granting mining licence to the Janthakal mining company...

The allegation is that I pressured local authorities to ensure licence was granted. But the Lokayukta has said that there was no loss to the exchequer during my tenure. The case was filed in 2010 after the BJP came to power. For the past seven years, they have harped on this as proof of corruption against me. If so, why have they not proved the case and let it drag on for so long?

In the coming elections, what will be the impact of PM Modi’s campaign in the state?

In Karnataka, there never was a Modi wave. Even before he became a central leader, the BJP got around 16 seats in Lok Sabha elections. Over the last 15 years, the people of the state have preferred the BJP in parliamentary elections.

Since the 2016 bypolls, there have been rumours of an alliance between the JD(S) and the Congress...

There is absolutely no question of an alliance with either the BJP or the Congress. We decided not to contest by-elections because they are not an indication of people’s opinion. When the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) was in power, we won around six by-elections. But in the assembly elections the results in those seats were different.

You have said the JD(S) will contest all 224 seats. How many seats are you hoping to win?

I will be ahead of the two national parties. My aim is to get at least 113 seats, the simple majority mark. I have made a set of promises to the people of the state, and I will not be able to fulfil these in another coalition government. Mark my words, the incumbent Congress will be relegated to the third place.

There is rising communal tension in coastal Karnataka. How do you propose to tackle this?

Historically, it is true that our party has been weak in this region. For a long time now, the BJP and Congress have both planned to divide the area. They never speak about development there. Any communal incident in that area benefits both parties. They generate fear and this has helped them systematically.

Recent reports have hinted at an understanding between you and energy minister DK Shivakumar in the Mysuru region...

These are baseless rumours. There is no question of an alliance with the Congress because wherever we are strongest, our contest is with the Congress.

What will be your message to voters in this election?

This state has seen 10 years of misrule by the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and the Congress. So the people of the state are willing to look at a third alternative. If not for anything, they can vote for us because it cannot get any worse than the Congress and BJP’S misrule so far.