Siddaramaiah will not pull the rug, he will go by Cong decision: Basavaraj Rayareddy
Like the water rushing out of dams in the state following heavy monsoon rains, Congress legislators in the state are involved in a no-holds barred expression of their views especially on the return of former CM Siddaramaiah as CM. None of them appreciate the role of the coalition government led by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and desperately want former CM Siddaramaiah to return as CM. The leader who started this debate was none other than former higher education minister, Basavaraj Rayareddy. In conversation with Deccan Chronicle, he spoke about the CM issue and who should become prime minister after the next Lok Sabha polls. Here are excerpts.
What is your impression of the JD (S)-Congress government that has just completed 100 days in office?
See, one can feel the absence of effective governance. It is psychological. Actually, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy is trying his best. He has come out with a loan waiver plan. In the beginning, it is quite natural that the pace of functioning of the government will be slow. I hope in future, he will do a good job. The second point is Congress ministers are well-experienced in administration while a few JD (S) ministers are inexperienced. They need time to learn.
You mentioned the word ‘psychological’ while referring to the absence of governance. Are you sure it is psychological or is it a real issue?
(pauses)...Partly it is real. And, it is psychological too. Because, people are comparing the present dispensation with the previous government led by Siddaramaiah. He did a tremendous job because he is a committed man. Compared to that, this government is going slow.
It looks like the two parties have come together to keep the BJP out and they achieved nothing more than that...
It is not true. The first part is true. Compared to the Congress and JD (S), the BJP is most corrupt and communal. The BJP wants to show it is very honest. Sadly, the Congress did not get a majority in the polls. Otherwise, Siddaramaiah would have returned to power. For the sake of the state, we had to sacrifice.
During the swearing-in ceremony of Mr Kumaraswamy, Non-BJP leaders including Mamta Banerjee and Pinarayi Vijayan were present. It was described as the beginning of unity of non-BJP parties. Three months down the line, forget about the rest of India, in Karnataka itself, the Congress seems restless. Party legislators are saying Siddaramaiah should become CM. Doesn’t it show the Congress is desperate to come back to power?
No, no. Mr Siddaramaiah has clarified on this. You can see a lot of love for Siddaramaiah among the legislators. He is a man of his word and none can question his commitment to the public cause. I was the first to say he should bounce back. He never said-‘Kumaraswamy should step down and I will become CM’. He said, ‘After the next elections, I will become CM’. There is nothing wrong if a leader nurtures such a desire.
Are you sure he has no intention of bringing down the government?
I know him for over 35 years. He is a committed man. He might be dissatisfied, because he differs with Kumaraswamy ideologically. But he will not pull the rug, he is a man with a big heart. Whatever the party decides, he will go by it.
But Congress legislators seem to be pressurising Mr Siddaramaiah to take tough decisions.
I think they are not used to Kumaraswamy and his party’s style of functioning. It is quite natural that when the river joins the sea, the sea will try to oppose the flow initially. The BJP is engaging in day dreaming. Nothing will happen.
But the past has a different story to tell. Whenever, a non-Congress party came to power with the support of the Congress, your party has pulled the rug unable to digest it. Take the case of the Chandrashekhar government...
Those days were different. Then, the Congress was very strong and it could dictate terms. Now the situation is different. Every party has its own vote bank. It is not easy now.
You said the BJP is very corrupt. Considering the way the present government is functioning, there does not seem to be much of a difference.
You have to understand that we inherited the system. The system remains the same but policies and priorities are different. We have a pro-people focus. The BJP never thought of people’s interests,
You yourself have taken umbrage to some of the decisions made by the higher education minister. Why are you upset?
I am not bothered about his educational background. But he should run the department with wisdom and vision. He requested me to give suggestions. I will certainly offer suggestions. Hope, he will learn fast. As for the controversy about the withdrawing the nominations made by the previous government to the Syndicates of various universities, those appointed by me were very qualified. They were withdrawn only for political reasons. It is unpleasant and very unfortunate.
This is one example that shows this government is not different and cannot work for the well being of the state...
No, no. We cannot say that G.T. Deve Gowda does not have experience, he is a good individual. Still there is time, he can overcome inexperience. I cannot say the government decisions are anti-people. The decisions are taken without knowing the repercussions. It is better for him to re-nominate them (Syndicate members).
Finally, you said the party should announce Mallikarjun Kharge as PM candidate. Why?
Friends from the media asked me about it while seeking my reaction to Baburao Chinchansoor and others joining BJP to defeat Mallikarjun Kharge. When I accused the Centre of adopting a stepmotherly attitude towards the state while doling out flood aid, the media wanted to know why Mr Kharge was not raising these issues in Delhi. He is an apt PM candidate because he is a seasoned and experienced leader. Then they pointed out that Rahul Gandhi (Congress president) does not want to become PM. I said if that was the case, the party should announce Mr Kharge as PM candidate. For the first time, a Dalit can become PM. I know him for over 35 years. He is fit for the post. Karnataka will be lucky if he becomes PM. Perhaps he is the tallest leader after Rahul in the party.
