Mysuru: “Karnataka is not Gujarat. People of the state are more intelligent, and are aware of the schemes and projects initiated by the Siddaramaiah government,” said the Mysuru district in-charge minister
HC Mahadevappa, who is also the Karnataka minister for public works.
A close associate of chief minister Siddaramaiah, Mahadevappa has his hands full as polling date draws near. Besides being assigned the responsibility of Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts, Mahedevappa is also overseeing CM’s son Yathindra Siddaramaiah’s campaign in Varuna segment. Mahadevappa first contested the assembly elections as a Janata Dal candidate in 1989 from T Narasipura (SC reserved) segment. Although he lost the election, he made a strong comeback winning the seat five times, and is looking to emerge victorious for a sixth time.
In an interview with The Times of India, Mahadevappa struck a confident note, stating that the
Congress would emerge victorious regardless of the number of
BJP leaders who would campaign in the state. Excerpts:
How would you rate the Congress’ election campaign?
The campaign is taking an important turn, as we head closer to the polling day. The people are responding positively to the Congress’ call, since we have provided good governance in the past five years. The government is not tainted by any scams, and has fulfilled almost all the promises that were made in the run-up to the 2013 elections.
Do you sense any anti-incumbency?
There is no feeling of anti-incumbency. We have focused on inclusive growth. There are, however, people spreading canards to mislead voters, but they will not be dissuaded.
The BJP has upped the ante of the campaign, with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi holding 21 rallies, and sending Union ministers for campaigning. What is your take?
Any number of leaders can come and campaign in Karnataka. They are cheating crores of people by not fulfilling even a single promise they made during the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP-led NDA government did not help Karnataka when it was in distress. Modi, Union ministers, and the BJP chief Amit Shah cannot dent the Congress’ prospects.
What do you make of Modi’swords of appreciation for former PM HD Deve Gowda?
It is a clear indication that the BJP and the JD(S) have joined hands to take on the Congress. They want to threaten secular forces. JD(S) is playing a dirty game, by combining with fascist forces.
About your segment, T Narasipura, why do you think people should re-elect you?
In the past five years, I have initiated various developmental projects in the constituency, including making provisions for drinking water in almost all villages in the segment. I have also undertaken construction of flyovers, bridges, hospitals, industrial training institutes, exclusive colleges for women, modernisation of canals, giving a push to irrigation activities such as bringing thousands of acres under lift irrigation. Moreover, I have taken up initiatives to make most villages open-defecation free. Nearly all developmental projects that I started have been completed, which is making it difficult for my opponents to raise any issues.
What are your plans for the segment, if you are re-elected?
Apart from completing the pending projects, and improving some of the amenities, my focus will be on providing skill-based training for youngsters and creating more jobs.
