BSY to replace me? Not yet: Jagadish Shettar

Consider him a lucky politician. Catapulted to the Chief Minister’s chair after B.S Yeddyurappa had to quit over illegal mining charges, former CM Jagadish Shettar could soon be donning the role of opposition leader in the assembly with KJP merging with BJP.

A formal announcement is likely to be made when the House meets for the joint legislature session on January 22.

Shettar held the same post between 1999 and 2004.

In the last decade, he has also been a minister and Speaker. In an interview with Deccan Chronicle, the modest pol­itician who comes from a political family in Hubli, said he would try his best to play a constructive role on the floor of the House and would not stall proceedings for trivial reasons. Excerpts from the interview.    

It is almost certain that your party will become the main opposition party after the merger of KJP with BJP. How is it significant for you and your party?

I am the floor leader of the BJP in the Assembly and naturally, I will become opposition leader.

You know I had held this responsibility when S.M. Krishna was chief minister. In the last seven and ha­lf months, as floor lea­d­er, I performed to the best of my ability. Once I be­c­ome the opposition leader, I will get an opportunity to raise people’s issues effectively.

What do you mean by being effective?

I will explain this with an e­x­ample.

During the Belgaum legislature session, I and my party wanted to discuss only the sugarcane farmers’ problems.

But, the principal op­p­osition party, the JD (S) diluted the issue by mi­xing the plight of tur dal and paddy farmers with that of sugarcane farmers.

I requested H.D. Kumaraswamy not to divert attention from the main issue. Since we were not the principal opposition party, we were not in a position to control the situation.

The re­sult: We  could not send a pr­oper message to farmers and one of them committed suicide.

How will the opposition party status benefit your party?

We will become the number 2 after the Congress party. Psychologically we will have an advantage and can send a message to people.

This change is ve­ry crucial in the run-up to th­e Lok Sabha elections. We will take up public is­sues more aggressively so that can come closer to people.

But, there is talk that the BJP will make B.S. Yeddyurappa the opposition leader once the Lok Sabha elections are over. Comment.

I do not want to reply to questions based on presumptions. I will continue to work as opposition leader as long as my party tells me to hold the post. Unless, my party asks me to step aside, I will not. 

Another important post, the public accounts committee chairman, is with Janata Dal (S). Will you get that post too?

Yes. The rule suggests that the post be held by a legislator who belongs to the principal opposition party. When we get the opposition party status, naturally one of our MLAs will occupy the post.

Aam Admi Party government in New Delhi has brought in several austerity measures like giving up government bungalows or using vehicles without beacon lights. What is your opinion on this?   

I do not understand the logic behind this. You stay in a three-bedroom house instead of a government bungalow. How is it an austerity measure?

Isn’t it an additional burden on the state exchequer? I can understand if you are sta­y­ing in your residence and not drawing house rent allowance. Chief Min­ister Arvind Kejriwal claims that he does not want to take security cover. But what is the reality?

There are security personnel around him. He cannot wish them away. I think all of them are trave­lling in government ve­hicles.

My argument is, don’t try to mislead people by taking steps which make no sense. I am really sur­prised why the media is going gaga over this.

But the same media does not write about Goa chief mi­nister, Manohar Par­ikkar. I have seen Parikkar driving a private vehicle and coming to Belgaum.

Why is his simplicity not highlighted? I do not want to say that you should live a lavish life just because you are entitled to government bunglows and other perks. Let us practise so­me restraint effectively an­d wherever possible.

Moving on, recently governor, H.R. Bhardwaj made an unusual remark against the BJP saying, ‘they have no guts to come to me to lodge a complaint against any Congress minister or the government.’ Why did BJP remain silent?

Actually, it is not true. Didn’t we go to him and give a memorandum asking for the dismissal of Santosh Lad from the ministry? Why didn’t he tell us anything when we met him?

Your party has reinducted Yeddyurappa. Will it really help BJP in the elections?

His entry has boosted the morale of party workers. Workers and the public wanted us to reunite and we fulfilled their expectations.

The Lok Sabha election will be fought on corruption, do you think Yeddyurappa’s entry might turn counterproductive for the party?

No. When people wanted him to return to the BJP fold, he did accordingly. So, they will not think his re-entry into BJP is akin to the party encouraging corruption.

How many times can one be punished?

But, before the assembly elections, you and party president Prahlad Joshi had maintained that Yeddyurappa was not needed for the party. How did everything change within eight months?

Ours is a national party. When someone is determined to quit, we can try our best to hold him back. But if they refuse to change their mind, what can we do?  Then you see what happened in the elections.

Both BJP and Yeddyurappa suffered heavy losses. We realised our mistakes and agreed to come together for the sake of workers and the people.