I am not Ananth Kumar camp follower: Ramesh Jigajinagi

Five time MP from Vijayapura, Ramesh Jigajinagi is  the lone face of Mumbai and Hyderabad Karnataka region in the Modi government. As the new water supply and sanitation minister, he is responsible for the Swachch Bharat programme among several others.

In an informal chat over the phone from Delhi with the Deccan Chronicle, he denied he had played either the Dalit card or used his alleged loyalty to BJP leader, Ananth Kumar  to bag his new position.  

Q&A Ramesh Jigajinagi, water supply & sanitation minister

Excerpts from the interview:      
You have finally been given a chance in the ministry after a long wait. How does it feel?
I am really thrilled to be given a ministerial berth. Scarcity of drinking water is a major problem for people  in many parts of the country and more so in Karnataka. I am happy because Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has trusted me with this portfolio. It is a big challenge.

Many in the party and outside say you have been given the berth because  you are  a Dalit.
(laughs) Whether you like it or not, one has to born in some community. I did not plan it and neither did you plan yours.  Now that I am here, people tend to give different reasons. I leave it to them to judge. But my caste or my background cannot save me if I do not perform. I have to do justice to the portfolio I am given.

Some say your loyalty to Mr Ananth Kumar too has paid off.
I am not aware of any camps in the party. I am a party man. I have never in my life lobbied for any post or Cabinet berth.  Everybody treats me with respect and affection because they are all my old friends. I have been in politics since 1977 and know almost everyone.  Therefore, the question of my being loyal to one person does not arise.

You have already held the first meeting of your department. What transpired?
We have a nearly Rs 14,000 crore budget for both drinking water and sanitation. Mr Modi gave me the portfolio as I liked it. There is a reason for this. When I first contested the Lok Sabha poll from Chikkodi, I used to see women scrambling for water.  I saw women at 1 am on the streets of Chikkodi town carrying water. It was sad. After I got elected, we worked hard for four long years to provide drinking water. Expectations are high because Modiji has given a lot of emphasis to sanitation. Then there is the Swachch Bharat programme. We have to work hard to live up to the Prime Minister’s expectations.

Going back to Dalits, it seems like the BJP does not want to accommodate them in the state.
I don’t agree with this. There was an issue about the party core committee in Karnataka not having any Dalits  earlier. But now we have two Dalits in the committee and many Dalit MLAs in the Assembly. This is a malicious campaign launched by our rivals. Wherever possible the party has accommodated Dalits.  We have two groups in the community, the Left (untouchable Dalits) and the Right (touchables). The Congress  cleverly accommodated only the Right and went to town saying it had empowered Dalits. I have been against the Congress from the very beginning. After Ramakrishna Hegde’s death, I joined the BJP which is again a non-Congress party. The opportunity and the space which the Congress denied (to the Left), we have got  here.

You do not visit temples. Is this a tactical move to appease the upper castes?
Whether you pray outside or inside a temple, there is not much difference.  It is a personal matter. I do whatever I feel is Ok.

Dalit activists say you  have not fought for the Dalit cause.
Some people who have no knowledge of my history say this. I know what I did as social welfare minister in Karnataka. We started the Morarji Desai schools and gave land to mortuaries. Those who criticize me must go to the social welfare department and see the file for themselves. Just because I am born a Dalit I don’t need to devote myself  to the Dalit cause alone. We have to work for the upliftment of many oppressed classes. These people who talk about Ambedkar, have they read about him properly?  Just by speaking about the Dalit CM issue,  you don’t get the post. You have to unite and raise your voice in unison.   

Now that you are a part of the Modi government, what is your plan for development of Mumbai and Hyderabad Karnataka?
I know there are a lot issues from these two regions which need attention. I will consult  party leaders and take a call on what needs to be done. I will follow the party line.