‘My brothers and I never left BJP’
Is the ‘satta’ market a better barometer? Will thankful patients be grateful voters?
Also says he was jailed on trumpedup charges as part of Cong conspiracy former prime minister Manmohan Singh, and the Siddaramaiah government in the state, they couldn’t prove anything.
I was jailed because of our good reputation. The Congress couldn’t face us, so they put me in jail under false allegations and cases. They haven’t been able to prove anything despite keeping me in jail for 43 months.
But former Lokayukta Santosh Hegde had indicted you in a report, which he titled the “Republic of Ballari”…
When you go through bad times, everything is bad. These false allegations have been portrayed very colourfully. The media, too, needed these allegations to sell their papers. This was unfortunate.
Seven years ago, they made false allegations, but we never committed any illegalities. We are all god-fearing people, who come from a very poor background. We never committed any crime... it was just my bad fate. But never did the people of Ballari district or HyderabadKarnataka region believe these false allegations. Today, people say this was a conspiracy of the Congress.
Coming to the BJP’s list of candidates, four of your close aides, including your two brothers, have been given tickets. Is this your family’s comeback?
When B Sriramulu approached me with the idea of forming a breakaway party, I opposed it vehemently. I told him that we should face anything that comes our way. Unfortunately, when I was jailed he took the decision [to form the Badavara Shramikara Raithara (BSR) Congress. But my brothers and I never left the BJP, so there is no question of coming back.
Speculation has been rife that Sriramulu is contesting from outside Ballari district for the first time in his career because you are living in Molkalmuru. Your view:
This is not true, it was the party’s decision. Sriramulu is a very popular leader of the Valmiki community (classified as a Scheduled Tribe). Out of the 15 reserved seats for the STs in the state, 13 are located in the neighbouring districts of Chitradurga, Ballari and Raichur. So, the party decided to field him here because it felt we would be able to win all these seats if he contested from Molkalmuru.
You hail from the HyderabadKarnataka region, where Lingayats are a dominant force. What is your view of the separate religion status granted to them by the state government?
I would say 99% of the people oppose this because the Lingayats and Veerahsaivas are one and the same. We can’t digest such a decision. Siddaramaiah has clearly taken this decision to divide society.
Both communities are followers of Shiva, and [the 12th century philosopher] Basaveshwara has said we must not divide on the basis of caste and religion. But today, Siddaramaiah has taken this move to divide society by invoking Basavanna’s name. This will only result in the Congress’s total destruction. With chief minister S Siddaramaiah deciding to contest from Badami too apart from Chamundeshwari, his acolytes have started comparing him with kings of yore.
Badami might be an obscure, backward constituency for some, a peripheral tourist destination known for its magnificent sandstone cave temples, for some others, but these acolytes remember it as the capital of the Chalukya Kings who ruled the region 543 to 753 CE. Their greatest ruler was Pulakeshin II (who also called Immadi Pulakeshi or one with the tiger mane) who extended his empire to conquer large parts of Northern India after defeating Harshavardhana of Elections are magnets for gamblers.
While betting on elections is technically illegal, that hasn’t prevented ‘syndicates’ from springing up in Karnataka to accept bets on the poll outcome and the cumulative money involved may run into several hundred crore.
Interestingly, while most opinion polls show the Congress to be ahead of its main rival the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but falling short of a simple majority, the satta markets where people back their opinions with money indicates that the BJP is slightly ahead of the Congress but also falling short of a majority.
Little wonder then, the lowest odds are being offered on the regional Janata Dal (Secular) emerging as the kingmaker in the bargain. Kannuj on the banks of the river Narmada.
The CM’s followers believe that he is the modern day Immadi Pulakeshi, the Southern stalwart who took on the invader from the North. Pulakeshi won against Harshavardhana, but he is believed to have been killed in another battle against the Pallavas soon after – robbing him of an opportunity to enjoy the magnificient empire he built. The CM’s critics point out that if Congress does not get an outright majority and needs the help of JD(S) to form a government, it might win the war but lose a King in the bargain as Siddaramaiah is not looked upon favourably by Deve Gowda and his party. If you ask for Dr SC Shankre Gowda in Mandya, you are likely to get blank stares in response. However, mention that you want to visit the five rupee doctor and people will guide to his clinic in Shivalli, about eight km from the heart of the city. Dr Gowda a specialist in skin diseases has been a boon to rural folk in Mandya. He sees all patients for a mere five rupees having given up a lucrative practice in the city to serve his rural community. He has done this now for a couple of decades. Dr Gowda was an aspirant for the JD(S) ticket to the Mandya constituency.
However when JD(S) decided to field a party member, Dr Gowda announced that he will contest as an independent. He will be hoping that the legion of his thankful patients will show their appreciation of his services at the ballot box.