KPCC president G Parameshwara is set to get into the JD(S)-Congress coalition cabinet and is keeping his fingers crossed over being made the deputy CM. In an interview to TOI’s Naheed Ataullah, he alleges foul play in EVMs and says this could be a reason behind Congress’s lower tally. Excerpts:
What went wrong for Congress to score so low?
We were not expecting these results as all our internal surveys had given us 120 to 127 seats. We were definitely expecting more than 120. Our report card was not negative at all. If you look at the programmes, their progress and the money spent on each of them, we were not deterred. Our campaign was the best and
AICC president
Rahul Gandhi spent 29 days travelling 14,000 km, which no other party chief did.
So, what happened despite all this?
If one looks at areas where damage has been done to the party, we suspect foul play in EVMs. There are reports of VVPAT case boxes being found in Vijayapura. How did that happen? We suspect that they have been clever enough not to indulge in foul play in all the 224 constituencies, but in selected ones. For instance in the coastal belt, Congress had won 11 of 13 seats. Former MLAs like
J R Lobo cannot just lose as his Mangaluru City South constituency has the highest number of minorities in the state.
Who do you suspect is behind the foul play?
Obviously somebody who was given the responsibility to operate them. We will analyse reports and decide what to do. Of course, the results cannot be reversed. Even if one were to challenge them in court, it will take five years. But let the entire world know.
Now that a coalition government is going to be formed, what should be the parameters for its smooth functioning?
We need to have a coordination committee which will decide the common minimum programme for the government. This is because each party had come up with a separate manifesto. ¢No coalition government in
Karnataka has lasted its full term... In any coalition, there may or may not be pinpricks. We will try to make Karnataka a model for coalition governments.
Did the proposal to giveLingayats minority religion tag work negatively for the party?
It was a minor issue. The Congress gave tickets to 47 Lingayats, and 16 have won. The Lingayat issue was all hyped. ¢What role are you looking at for yourself in the coalition government? There is no question of a good or a bad post. The party leadership has been very kind to me personally, as giving a single person the party president’s post for eight years is no joke.
