BITTER RIVALS INTERVIEW
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Me soft on the BJP ? Why should I go to Mayawati ’ s door then ? Asaduddin Owaisi is supporting us . Chandrashekhar Rao too will address our rallies .
‘ I am bound to get the working majority ’
Amid speculation over Karnataka elections , there ’ s talk about the possibility of a hung assembly , and H . D . Deve Gowda as the kingmaker . The former PM tells Ajay Sukumaran that people want a change from both the BJP and Congress .
How different are these elections ? The difference is that the maladministration of the present government has gone too deep into people ’ s minds . He ( Siddaramaiah ) has demolished various institutions . Take for example , the Lokayukta , Public Service Commission and the Bangalore Development Authority . Police offi cers themselves went to the extent of requesting protection and gave a memorandum to the chief secretary . These are all major issues today . He may say this bhagya and that bhagya , it ’ s irrelevant . Then , the BJP misrule — in five years there were three CMs . There were also several people who went to jail .
Kumaraswamy was CM for 20 months and certain decisions he took in the coalition government are still in the mind of the people . They are comparing those with the BJP ’ s five-year rule with three CMs and this man ’ s five years ’ full term . Both the BJP and Congress have brought out ‘ chargesheets ’ against each other . But
36 OUTLOOK 7 May 2018
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nobody can bring chargesheets against me or my son . You cannot take people for granted , they are watching .
How many seats are you hoping to win ? Some people say the party is only a kingmaker . I ’ m not bothered about the BJP or Congress fighting each other or their internal struggles . I ’ m a firm believer in the Almighty . This time , I ’ m bound to get the working majority . Otherwise why should I work like this ? At the same time , the press is also saying Gowda and Kumaraswamy are very soft on the BJP ... that ’ s the impression mediawallahs are giving .
Is that not true ? No . ( Laughs ) Why should I go to ( BSP supremo ) Mayawati ’ s door then ? Plus ( Asaduddin ) Owaisi has already declared his support . KCR too said he will address our rallies with his deputy CM who is a Muslim leader . All these things today will give us a majority to form the government . Last time , my son fought singlehandedly and got 40 seats . There were so many star campaigners from the BJP and they also got 40 seats . Yes , Yeddyurappa ’ s KJP took about 10 per cent votes . I ’ m not making the claim that the JD ( S ) is a tall party . Today , these two parties are fighting each other , but Kumaraswamy is going without using harsh words against the BJP or Congress as a whole . But Siddaramaiah is attacking left and right to destroy my image . I am a secular leader . I ’ m not an opportunist . Even my son , when he went with the BJP , he had D . V . Sadananda Gowda , who was then the president of the ruling ally , arrested at Datta Peetha . He never cared .
In 2004 , l wanted to make Siddaramaiah the CM but the Congress , following discussions after discussions , said we ’ ll go for polls . Then I forced him to accept the deputy CM ’ s post . Now , he wants to say , he ’ s a secular leader and Gowda is an opportunist . Rubbish !
Both the BJP and Congress say Karnataka will set the mood for 2019 parliamentary polls … I agree to some extent . If a regional party that has suffered for the last 10 years is raising its head , it will naturally be an indi cation for the 2019 election . Or worse , a neck-and-neck fight between all three parties . That is also an indication .
In 2009 , there was a bid to form a third front ? Will it happen in 2019 ? Some people are thinking to form a front minus the BJP and Congress . Some people want to take the Congress along . How it will culminate , we have to see in the coming days . Perhaps some alternate to the BJP and Congress may come together and move forward . O