Have to win maximum Lok Sabha seats, can't have groupism: Dinesh Gundurao
Bengaluru: New KPCC president Dinesh Gundurao has made it clear that with Congress president Rahul Gandhi keen on winning the maximum Lok Sabha seats from Karnataka, party leaders cannot afford to indulge in groupism as it would mar Congress prospects like it did in the Assembly polls.
In an interview with Deccan Chronicle, Mr Gundurao said, "If anyone does, I will advise them. If they cross the line, I will handle them diplomatically and if need be, harshly."
The Gandhinagar MLA dismissed reports that he lobbied hard for the KPCC post saying it was his credibility which worked for him. "If I were a lobbyist, why would I wait for four terms to become minister?" he asked. On the loss in the recent polls, he blamed it on the BJP's campaign dubbing the Congress anti-Hindu.
There is a saying doing the rounds in state Congress circles that Dinesh Gundurao will never run out of luck-he will get a post or succeed in a particular mission when others in the party feel he will definitely fail. After the JD(S)-Congress coalition government was formed, Mr Gundurao did not get a cabinet berth and many felt his bad days had started. But he instead bagged the prized PCC president post much to the surprise of senior leaders. Unlike many others, he entered politics after his father ended his innings. He worked in the Youth Congress and climbed the ladder steadily through the years. A major test for him is the 2019 Parliament elections which he admits in the interview with Deccan Chronicle. Here are excerpts from his interview.
Ever since your college days, your career graph is on the rise: After completing your undergraduate studies you entered politics, then you became a MLA and later a minister. Now you have been given the PCC president post. What is your success mantra?
When I started, I never thought of doing things this way. I was in engineering college when I took part in the election of my father who contested the Lok Sabha elections in 1989 and 1991. After he passed away in 1993, I joined the Congress party. I entered the Youth Congress and worked as an ordinary worker. I was not given any special treatment just because I was a former CM’s son. I took part in party programmes, be it elections or any other task. With the support of the cadre, I moved up the ladder. After Mr Anjaneya and Mr Manjunath, I became the state Youth Congress president in 1998. It happened because of the cadre’s support. In 1999, I was given the Gandhi Nagar Assembly seat ticket. I won it and managed to win it the next four times. When Dr G. Parameshwar became PCC president, I was made the DCC president, then a minister when Siddaramaiah became CM. I see a steady growth in my career graph. It was not a sudden rise.
No doubt, you have merit but you are also good at networking and lobbying. Did that work in your favour?
I worked for the organisation for a very long time, obviously I know people. When I was Youth Congress president, Manish Tewari and Randeep Singh Surjewala too were heading Youth Congress units. You may be a minister for ten terms yet you may not know anyone in the party. But, if you work in the organisation, you will know many leaders young and old. All India Congress Committee general secretary K.C. Venugopal was the Kerala Youth Congress president when I became Youth Congress president. Of course, he was very senior to me. I don’t network for the sake of lobbying. I don’t lobby at all. My credibility in the party worked for me. If I were to be a lobbyist, why would I wait for four terms to become a minister? My approach to politics is different.
You were backed by former Chief Minister Dharam Singh and veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge at the beginning of your career. Then you deserted the Kharge camp. Isn’t it true?
It is not true. In 2008, Khargeji was the Pradesh Congress Committee president and I worked under him. Now, he is our party leader in the Lok Sabha and he is also our general secretary. He is one of the top leaders in the party and there is no question of ignoring or disrespecting him. I work for the party. When my name was proposed, many supported my candidature and many opposed it. That does not mean I will take along only those who supported me. I need to take along those who opposed my candidature too. So, I for one, want to genuinely take everyone with me.
There are so many seniors and elders in the Congress party who may not accept your leadership or listen to you. Caste is not on your side. Then, how do you plan to manage this?
For me, the party is paramount. Knowing the reality that I come from a small Brahmin community, Rahulji chose me. He reposed so much confidence in me that I have to live upto the expectations. It is not a cliché: I do not judge a leader based on his caste, nor did they accept me on those lines. I reached this stage because of the love and support of the cadre. Now, Rahulji’s dream is that we should win more LS seats in Karnataka and no Congress leader would disagree on this. And I can’t afford to indulge in groupism. If anyone does, I will call them and advise them. If they cross the line, without any fear or favour, I will handle them diplomatically and if need be, harshly.
By now, you might have analysed the reasons for the party’s defeat in different regions in the Assembly polls. Why did you lose the polls?
Our government implemented very good programmes effectively. The government was stable and the state progressed under Congress rule. Still we lost the elections. We could not contain the BJP’s malicious misinformation campaign. They said we were anti-Hindu. It was the Siddaramaiah government which doubled the tastik (honorarium) of priests. It was our government that started celebrating birth anniversaries of many sages and social reformers. But, the BJP picked up Tipu Jayanthi and went to town against us. The Lingayat issue too worked against us. Actually, the party was not associated with this. The Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha gave a memorandum and the chief minister forwarded it to the Centre.
No political party had even won an election by antagonising both the Lingayats and Vokkaligas. You, went overboard attacking the Gowda family and JD (S). What’s is your view?
The JD (S) was our rival in south Karnataka, so we attacked that party and its leaders, Deve Gowda and Mr Kumaraswamy then. We never attacked the Vokkaligas. We had to attack JD (S). If I criticise B.S. Yeddyurappa (BJP state president), it should not be construed as my attack on Lingayats. We did not criticise Vokkaligas.
Ever since the Congress joined the coalition government, the JD (S) is not speaking about the coalition partner. But, the Congress is speaking against the coalition partner every day. Is your party interested in keeping the coalition going or do you have other plans?
We entered into a coalition to keep the BJP out. It (criticism against JD-S) is natural because we fought against each other in the Assembly elections, therefore some confusion is bound to happen. You should remember that we have not reached a stage where we fall out. I think both the JD (S) and Congress agree on a common point that we want to keep the BJP out and give good governance. So, we will sort out the differences and we will work together.
As PCC president, will you join the coalition co-ordination committee?
It is left to the AICC general secretary to decide.
What is the game plan for the Lok Sabha elections?
We are in a better position because there is no Modi wave anywhere in the country. Two, the BJP led NDA government at the Centre failed to deliver what it promised on all fronts. Then we will highlight our achievements and what we stand for. We strongly feel that the Parliament elections may be advanced to December this year because the BJP is now afraid of losing in three or four north Indian states. The Union Government is worried about anti-incumbency too. Then, we have to counter the BJP’s malicious campaign against the Congress party.
