‘Some Congress MLAs may find it tough’

Agriculture minister Krishna Byregowda’s day starts and ends with campaigning at his constituency Bytarayanapura these days. Ahead of the May 12 assembly elections, the minister explained to Anusha Ravi how anti-incumbency at the constituency level, infrastructure woes in Bengaluru and the Mohammed Nalapad incident is affecting the Congress and its game plan for the crucial polls. Excerpts from an interview:

Does Congress acknowledge the constituency level anti-incumbency against its legislators?
There is no anti-incumbency against the government, the Chief Minister or the party but many MLAs face anti-incumbency and the party is aware of the legislators who face local issues. Some of them may tide over because of the party and CM, but some may not be able to pull over. I hope changes are made as far as incumbents are concerned.

Will Bengaluru’s crumbling infrastructure dent Congress’ prospects?
Bengalureans have various irritation but they are beginning to understand that there are no easy solutions. We are pushing Metro because that is the final solution. No amount of road widening will address the issue because that is the kind of growth we are witnessing. We have restored 37 lakes so far but it is Bellandur that grabs attention. We are not neglecting that either and, by 2020, it will be resolved when sewage treatment plants become functional. Union Minister Prakash Javdekar promised `300 crore for Bellandur lake but his ministry wrote to us that there were no funds. We are trying to fix the problems piece by piece.

How does a Mohammed Nalapad-type incident affect Congress?
Yes, an incident like this does play on public perception, but I would appeal to the people to go beyond the headlines and see that despite him being the son of a prominent MLA, we neither tried to hide the incident nor help him. I would urge people to look at the government’s conduct in the matter and give us the benefit for dealing with him with such a firm hand. The BJP would have gone out of its way to help its people. We have been fair and unbiased.

BJP claims to enjoy the support of youth. Will the massive enrollment of young voters for this election benefit them?
It is undeniable that a greater share of youngsters voted the BJP in the previous elections because they believed in the story that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spun, but that story subsequently has soured. The people have given him the mandate but he has nothing to speak of except 60 years of Congress rule. People are now becoming sceptical of the promises.

Are you eliminating JD(S) as competition in the upcoming polls?
Yes. JD(S) is only relevant in 3-4 districts. They are not a viable alternative. It will be a disaster if Karnataka ends up with a hung assembly and JD(S) playing the kingmaker because JD(S) will ensure the state goes back another 10 years.

How different is Congress under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership?
He is trying to bring the next line of leadership into the mainstream. Emphasis is being laid on real party workers instead of those who hang on to power. He is empowering local leaders and giving them absolute freedom — more than what Congress is used to. Action-oriented general secretaries have been appointed and politically he is now taking an aggressive line at the national level. Newer faces, voices are being promoted, party’s genuine workers are finding their place, he is developing a national political vision for future governance.  

How much of an impact does Rahul Gandhi have on voters in Karnataka?
People identify with him. Partly because he is the head of the Congress and partly because he belongs to a family with which people have had a political and emotional connect for decades. At the national level, he is now presenting an alternative, liberal, secular, progressive and future-oriented vision to the current right wing, regressive and dictatorial option that exists today. He is a very relevant figure even in Karnataka.

What stops Congress from announcing its CM candidate?
This is an issue that only outsiders are bothered about. None of us in the party are bothered because we want to bring Congress back to power in Karnataka. In my view, it is a politically irrelevant question.

Do you believe polarisation can trump any other poll agenda?
In a theoretical sense, I cannot rule it out, but that is not the case in Karnataka. People here are sensible. I won’t say that they are not tempted by the impulses of polarisation but in the end, they will lean on the rational side. We are a sober, rational people.

Are you politicising the 15th Finance Commission devolution of funds keeping in mind the Karnataka assembly elections?
I made a request to the Centre to engage with us to find a solution. If they refuse to acknowledge these concerns, then we are left with no choice but to politicise the issue. And by politicise, I mean taking it to the electorate. That is not our first alternative. A slugfest is not our intention. There are win-win alternatives, but if the government does not want to consider it, then it deliberately wants to create some winners and some losers.

What were the high and low points of five years of your government in Karnataka?
We have given a progress-oriented government. Karnataka leads in investments, job creation and our GDP growth is 8.5% as compared to the national average of 6.6%. Secondly, we have delivered a very stable government which was elusive for Karnataka in the last 10 years. We have never indulged in factional politics, unlike the previous government which saw three Chief Ministers. Most importantly we have given a scandal-free government, again, unlike the BJP government which saw its CM land in jail for corruption. Successive droughts, I would deem, were the low points for our government. Droughts are a drain on development and progress apart from being an agricultural distress.