Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy speaks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent rhetorical question asking if the JD(S) leader’s vote bank was in Pakistan and the coalition’s poll prospects. Excerpts:
Mr. Modi, in a recent rally, said that you were perhaps under the impression that your vote bank is in Pakistan. What is your response?
Mr. Modi is insulting the country and Indian Lok Sabha constituencies by saying such a thing. It is a crass anti-national statement. In fact, Mr. Modi has no moral right to ask me whether my vote bank is in Pakistan, as the NDA Government has discriminated against Karnataka in terms of irrigation projects, river water disputes and allocation of funds among other things, despite several letters and delegations.
The BJP and Mr. Modi said you ‘insulted’ jawans by saying only the poor join the Army...
My words have been twisted and taken out of context. I have deep respect for our armed forces and jawans. In my speech I opposed the exploitation of jawans for political ends. I said that there are people from poor families, sole breadwinners, working in the Army and their lives shouldn’t be sacrificed for Mr. Modi and his party’s political benefit. I haven’t said that only poor people join the army for livelihood, as the Prime Minister and BJP IT trolls made it out to be.
Mr. Modi is engaged in projecting himself as the saviour of the country by capitalising on the air strike following Pulwama attack. He has gone to the extent of asking people to vote for the BJP in the name of jawans. Upset with this, over 150 veterans, including eight former Service chiefs, wrote a letter to the President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces urging him to intervene against politicisation of the military in the elections.
This kind of a narrative has become inevitable for them as they have nothing else to claim in the last five years of NDA rule except dividing society in the name of religion.
With the election close, have differences between the coalition partners Congress and JD(S) been sorted out?
There are no differences among the coalition partners to the extent to which they are projected. The synergy between the leaders is now visible. AICC president Rahul Gandhi launched his campaign from Karnataka and the joint campaigns by the coalition partners are successful in the State.
My father [former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda] and Siddaramaiah [former Congress Chief Minister] and other leaders from both parties are campaigning together and projecting the united strength of coalition. I do admit that there were disagreements, but in the larger interests of the country, and to defeat the BJP, leaders have buried them, particularly in the last fortnight.
The Independent candidate Sumalatha has been posing a tough challenge to your son Nikhil in Mandya. Did you take the constituency, a Vokkaliga bastion, for granted and underestimate the opponent?
Mandya has been emotionally attached to the JD(S) for the past several years.
The JD(S) has contributed to the development of Mandya to its best and those who know the history of the constituency will definitely understand that.
People in the constituency are aware of the contribution of Mr. Deve Gowda to the Cauvery basin.
They have not forgotten the fast launched by Mr. Gowda when the NDA government was set to form the Cauvery Management Board. Knowing this, people blessed JD(S) representatives in all the seven constituencies of Mandya in the previous Assembly polls and the coalition candidate in the bypoll to the Lok Sabha seat.
However, there is no question of underestimating the BJP-backed, so-called Independent candidate.
The perception that you are a family party has only got strengthened in this election. Will this not seriously erode the party’s image and prospects?
Ours is not the only party which has more representation of family members... The BJP has also given ticket to sons, daughters, relatives and wives in the past and even in this election. It is a phenomenon across the country, which is inevitable at the present juncture. However, family members of the JD(S) have fought the polls and got directly elected by the people and not through the back door. The issue is being blown out of proportion by the BJP.
The BJP is foreseeing the fall of the coalition government, post Lok Sabha results...
The BJP has been saying this from the day the coalition government came to power in Karnataka. It has been trying to destabilise the government through horse trading, but has failed miserably.
But the BJP has not learnt a lesson and is still engaged in the same exercise, which will not succeed. The coalition government is strong and stable and will complete its full term.
But would a poor show by the coalition destabilise the government?
The question does not arise because there won’t be a poor show.