Express News Service
BENGALURU: With the responsibility of two heavyweight portfolios — major irrigation and medical education — on his shoulders, Karnataka minister D K Shivakumar have been spending his days hopping between meetings ahead of the state budget session. In an interview with The New Indian Express, Shivakumar spoke about his fight with the BJP, anger against him within the party and his vision for the ministries he heads. Excerpts.
Has your role in government formation and inclusion in the cabinet angered many within the party?
There is no anger against me for becoming a minister. My seniority and hard work cannot be questioned. But there is no medicine for jealousy and there is always going to be a lot of “fault finding”. I believe in doing my duty and this government was a united effort. It was not me all alone but all of us worked together and have emerged successful.
The cabinet has been criticised for being South Karnataka and Vokkaliga-heavy.
The JD(S) has 30 legislators from South Karnataka’s three or four districts. They have given representation to North Karnataka with the numbers they have. It is not about Vokkaligas but numbers that make a difference in a democracy. When more Vokkaliga legislators have won, the party naturally has to give more representation to the community. Lingayats were overrepresented in the cabinet during the BJP’s government but no questions were asked. The Congress has balanced it out by sharing power equally among leaders from across the state. We have more berths and justice will be done.
Will the farm loan waiver affect programmes in your ministries?
We will have to wait till July 5 to see if it does. I have requested the Chief Minister (H D Kumaraswamy) not to touch any of the irrigation schemes. In fact, there is more demand by legislators of the Cauvery delta region to take up more irrigation works and additional funds need to be allocated. I will wait for the budget.
What is your vision for your ministries?
I handle irrigation and medical education, both ministries that come with huge responsibilities. By birth I am an agriculturist, by profession, I am a businessman and by choice, I am an educationist. As an agriculturist, I am duty-bound for irrigation and my choice of being an educationist will be put to use in medical education. Karnataka has the highest number of medical colleges in the country and we produce ace doctors but are exporting them.
My vision is to retain doctors and ensure Karnataka becomes a health tourism leader with affordable healthcare. Patients from across the world should be able to get world-class treatment in Bengaluru. We intend to make one-year rural service mandatory for all medical students admitted in government quota seats. We spend an average of Rs 10-12 lakh per student. I also intend to hike fees for government quota seats to Rs 50,000 since we have to pay universities.
Is your fight with BJP’s leadership, both at the state and national level, personal now?
No, I don’t want to fight with anyone. My principles guide me. I do not want to fight personally with anyone but if they want to make it personal, it is their wish. It is an ideological fight for me.
