‘Confined to K’taka as this is a doordie poll for me’

GOING ALL OUT Former prime minister speaks to HT about his campaign plan for the May 12 polls in Karnataka and the possible benefits of his party’s alliance with Bahujan Samaj Party

and HD Kumaraswamy (his son and former CM).

What is your response to chief minister Siddaramaiah’s statement that opportunism is your sole ideology?

My son went with the BJP (in 2006) and they call him opportunistic. But what about Siddaramaiah, who left behind the party that groomed him and joined the Congress? Why did he go there when he used to call himself a socialist? One should never run after power, it must come to your doorstep.

What is your opinion about the seven legislators who left your party recently?

I was relieved when they finally left. Their closeness to the Congress began within six months of Siddaramaiah becoming the chief minister. They were against Kumaraswamy. Things had reached such a pass that when Kumaraswamy was moving a no-confidence motion in the assembly, these people were mocking him from behind.

How do you view the final verdict on the Cauvery?

The chief minister was out distributing sweets while the verdict was still being analysed. The tribunal had already decided that five-six tmcft of water from our basin was to be diverted to unknown projects in Tamil Nadu. How can the state celebrate an additional allocation of around 15 tmcft? Look at the drinking water needs of people in the Cauvery basin region.

Your alliance with the BSP is seen as the beginning of a nationallevel third front.

I might align with the BSP in the Lok Sabha elections. Some people are calling for an anti-BJP, anti-Congress alliance and others for an alliance with the Congress. I am not going to get entangled in this because I’m fighting both Congress and BJP in the assembly elections. To be honest, I’m confined to Karnataka because this is a do-or-die election for me. That’s why I’m campaigning like this, travelling 200-300 km a day.

The state BJP is campaigning on the Modi government’s record...

The (pro-Modi) euphoria of 2014 has died away. He might promise many things in this election, but will people take him seriously?

What would you say is your legacy, after spending 56 years in politics?

I am the son of an ordinary farmer. I was part of the cooperative movement as well. I was the prime minister for 10 months, a chief minister for 17 months.

Not managing the media well was one of my biggest mistakes. Stories were planted against me every single day; they called me the sleeping prime minister.

I visited Kashmir five times during my short tenure, and sanctioned road projects and a university there.

I removed a rule in the defence forces that prevented Muslims from getting sensitive posts. I didn’t live a happy life because I always swam against the current.

BENGALURU: The reputation of this government is at its lowest ebb. Is there any law and order in the state? (Karnataka) Have they done anything?