‘I will be Bengaluru’s voice in parliament’

Rural development and panchayat raj minister, Krishna Byregowda has emerged as the dark horse to take on Union minister, D. V. Sadanada Gowda in Bengaluru North this Lok Sabha poll, and he is making good use of the opportunity , campaigning hard, at times accompanied by JD(S) supremo, H. D. Deve Gowda in places like Hebbal.  Looking forward to experiencing a stint in the Lok Sabha, he says he hopes to be Bengaluru's voice in parliament unlike Mr Sadananda Gowda , who he calls an absentee MP, who has done little for the constituency. Asserting that the Congress will win from Bengaluru North this time, he tells
N.B. HOMBAL, that workers in the constituency are charged and working hard for the party's victory. Excerpts from an interview:

How did you emerge as the dark horse for Bengaluru North?
I am not a dark horse. Both party leaders and my colleagues suggested my name unanimously and decided that I was the best candidate.  I respected the advice of Mr  Deve Gowda, Congress Legislature Party leader, Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister, Dr G. Parameshwar. It will be a great opportunity to serve in parliament. I have been elected as MLA five times in a row now and serving in parliament will give me bigger exposure and experience. I strongly believe that I can be the voice of Bengaluru and Karnataka in parliament.  

You had contested from Bengaluru South in 2009 and now in 2019 you are contesting in Bengaluru North. How different is the experience?
Bengaluru North is a huge constituency with 28 lakh voters compared to Bengaluru South. Covering such a big area in a short span of time is a big challenge. As we have seven MLAs, including two of the JD(S) in this constituency, we are reaching out  more effectively to the voters this time than in Bengaluru South. Obviously we are very confident of winning the seat. Both JD(S) and Congress workers are charged in the constituency.

Of late, BJP workers have been disrupting Congress meetings and rallies. How do you plan to tackle this?
We will remain focused on our campaign, and refuse to be disturbed by these negative diversionary tactics. Voters are very intelligent and can tell the difference between what is a diversionary tactic and what is not. People know that in the last five years, the Union government has failed on jobs, and the economy. That is the reality and no amount of  shouting can change this. Even today, the growth forecast has been lowered by none other than the RBI. People will respond to that.  

Since, you have opted for rural ministries, could it impact your chances in an urban constituency?
It is an advantage to be from an urban constituency and yet work with rural issues. It helps one to develop as a mature political figure. I think to be a successful politician in the long term, you need to have both urban and rural experience, which is exactly what I have got.

What are the problems you are addressing in your campaign?
I will be an active and engaging MP. The problem here is that the people have had an absentee MP. For the last five years, the sitting MP (Mr Sadananda Gowda) has been missing from the scene. I have been a very active minister and MLA. So, I propose to bring the same kind of involvement in Bengaluru North.

What is your campaign strategy?
We are still at the planning stage. We have not come out with specific plans as yet.  We will use every available platform to campaign to win this election: We will have to depend on social media too. We have a network and identified people in every booth to  spread the word about the work we have done. We will also hold a conventional campaign involving street corner meetings, rallies and door-to-door visits.

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