Hubballi: It's a new low even for “Namma Ooru” politicians. Words like “Neech”, “chamchas” and “chelas” are what people hear when they turn out for election rallies of the various parties for the Kundagol Assembly bypoll. While they come in the hope of hearing their leaders talk about genuine issues concerning development and the drought in North Karnataka, which has left them with an acute drinking water crisis, all they get to hear is abuse as the rival parties take on each other.
While BJP leader, K S Eshwarappa uses his share of foul language, Congress leaders too respond in kind. Only recently JD(S) president, A H Vishwanath called loyalists of former Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, "chamachas" and Mr Eshwarappa accused other senior Congress leaders of losing their nerve to oppose his "autocratic" ways.
“Siddaramaiah has become mad as he is keen on becoming Chief Minister despite losing Chamundeshwari and the Congress debacle in the last Assembly elections. I thought senior Congress leaders like Kharge and D K Shivakumar would object when his chelas backed him," he said.
As for minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, who had offered to serve as BJP state chief, B S Yeddyurappa's watchman if he became Chief Minister, Mr Eshwarappa responded by calling him a "thief" and saying he was not fit to even work as a sweeper. " Zameer is another name for chamachagiri," he said.
Responding sharply, minister D K Shivakumar said such "neech" talk only reflected the culture of the BJP and MP, D K Suresh, who has been campaigning in Kundagol, advised the BJP leader to check into Nimhans to see if he was mentally sound.
This new low of political campaigning has left many villagers and farmers' leaders resentful as the focus is no longer on their problems, but on personal rivalry. Observed a professor of political science at Karnataka University, "The tendency to use abusive language started during the 2014 parliamentary elections in the state. Sadly, politics does not have anything worthwhile to offer these days.”
