“Prime Minister Narendra Modi can’t do magic in Karnataka,” senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told News18, insisting that “the Congress win is clear as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has done hate politics in the state”.
In a detailed interview at his Bengaluru residence on Monday, Siddaramaiah said both state Congress present DK Shivakumar and he are Chief Minister aspirants in Karnataka. “There is no fight between Shivakumar and me,” he said, adding, “The newly elected MLAs and the Congress High Command will decide who will be the CM.”
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He said that senior BJP leaders such as Jagdish Shettar and Laxman Savadi joining the Congress was an indication of which way the wind was blowing in the state. “We will win around 150 seats,” the former CM claimed.
Siddaramaiah also said the Congress will get “considerable Lingayat support” in these elections as “they were now understanding the party’s ideology”.
He accused the BJP of doing hate politics. “Why have they raised halal, azan and hijab issues? These issues are not relevant and it will backfire on the BJP,” Siddaramaiah said, also rejecting the BJP charge that he had appeased the Muslim community as the CM. He also said the “corruption of the BJP has seeped into the minds of the people of Karnataka and they have made up their mind to throw out this government”.
Edited Excerpts:
Do you think the confidence in the Congress camp is very high? We saw Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Kolar, do you think it is based on some solid backing and support or is there a sense of overconfidence?
We are not overconfident because we have seen so many elections. This is the 14th election that I am facing. I know the ground reality, I know the pulse of the people. This time, the Congress will come back to power with a comfortable majority on its own. I am very confident, it is not overconfidence.
Former BJP CM Jagdish Shettar and another former BJP deputy CM Laxman Savadi has joined you. Is this an indicator of which way the wind is blowing for the Congress?
That is an indication as well. Otherwise, why would Savadi or Shettar, Puttanna and very senior people join our party? They know very well that the Congress will come to power. That is why they have joined the Congress. There is also a wave in our favour.
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How much will the Shettar factor help the Congress?
He is not only a North Karnataka leader. He is a senior leader in Karnataka and one of the senior-most Lingayat leaders in the state next to B S Yediyurappa, not Basavaraj Bommai. He was a CM, two-time Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka assembly, and a deputy speaker. He held several portfolios. There are also no allegations against Shettar even when he was the CM or as a minister. I know Shettar very well because he was the CM when I was the Leader of the Opposition.
We are not going to raise national issues. Local issues are important because it is an election to the state legislature. People are concerned about their problems. That is why we are only raising the issues concerning the vulnerable sections of society in the state.
Now your adversary has become your friend?
Yes. As the Opposition Leader, I have attacked the BJP government, but he is a very good man. He is a gentleman. It pained him. A man who has won six times, having held many senior posts, was denied a ticket without any reason. It was a surprise to everybody in Karnataka. The BJP promised him everything, from Governorship to Rajya Sabha to Union minister. At least they (BJP) should have told him the reason before denying him a ticket. They should have spoken to him and convinced him. It was very bad. He is a self-respecting man.
Before Shettar’s entry, the Lingayats backed the BJP. Do you think you will also be getting the Lingayat votes this election?
Yes. This is because a considerable number of Lingayats will support the Congress. They (BJP) removed Yediyurappa as the CM unceremoniously, and now Jagdish Shettar has been denied a ticket, and Eshwarappa has been denied a ticket…people are watching all these developments. I don’t know why they denied Shettar.
This time, the BJP has gone all out to woo the Vokkaligas and the Congress is wooing the Lingayats. If you see the voting pattern, the Vokkaligas have largely supported the Congress and JDS. Where do you see the Lingayats this time?
They (Lingayats) are slowly understanding the ideology of the Congress. The Congress is a secular party. The one that is committed to social justice and democracy. It is committed to constitutional values.
It is being said that Shettar could be a misfit in the Congress. He comes from a family that has been working closely with the Jan Sangh…
It is their (BJP) statement, a politically motivated one. Shettar’s uncle was an MLA from the Jan Sangh, his father has been a municipal member from Hubballi-Dharwad five times, and he himself has been elected five times as an MLA. When he was denied a ticket, is it not heart-burning? That is why he took a decision. Shivakumar, Randeep Singh Surjewala, M B Patil and I contacted him and told him that if he comes to the Congress, we will respect him and treat him like a family member in the party.
There is a fight. I am not saying that it is a walkover. At the same time, I am not overconfident. An election is an election, you have to approach the voters, do door-to-door campaigning, and apprise the voters of the four guarantees we promised. In all 224 constituencies, our workers have distributed the guarantee cards with the four promises that both Shivakumar and I have signed. The people of Karnataka have faith in the Congress.
The Congress has deliberately kept the focus on local issues such as corruption even during your campaign…
We are not going to raise national issues. Local issues are important because it is an election to the state legislature. People are concerned about their problems. That is why we are only raising the issues concerning the vulnerable sections of society in the state.
Will the fight in Varuna be tough? People say that Siddaramaiah should not take Varuna for granted…
Of all the 14 elections I have fought till now, I have not taken any for granted.
How do you see this contest?
There is a fight. I am not saying that it is a walkover. At the same time, I am not overconfident. An election is an election, you have to approach the voters, do door-to-door campaigning, and apprise the voters of the four guarantees we promised. In all 224 constituencies, our workers have distributed the guarantee cards with the four promises that both Shivakumar and I have signed. The people of Karnataka have faith in the Congress. From 2013-2018, we fulfilled all promises made in the manifesto. We have delivered extra as well. That is why the people trust us. The four guarantees made a big impact.
The BJP says that Mr Modi will come and turn the election around for the BJP…
Modi cannot do magic here in Karnataka. Why has Modi not done magic in Punjab, Delhi, West Bengal, and more recently Himachal Pradesh? In all states, it is not possible. Modi went and spoke in HP as well and addressed many rallies…what happened?
The BJP calls it the Modi Tsunami…
There is no Modi tsunami at all. Otherwise, all the states in the country should have had BJP governments.
Mr Modi will come to Karnataka in the last week of April. The Congress’s whole campaign against the BJP is about the ‘40 percent corruption’ and ‘PayCM’. Modi and the BJP are saying in Delhi that the Congress’s history is corruption. He is going to the UPA days…..
I am asking Narendra Modi ji……you are in power, you are the PM and have been in power for the past nine years. Don’t just make allegations, punish those who are involved in corruption, or have indulged in corruption, you punish them all. If you don’t punish them, nobody will believe your words. In Karnataka, the contractors’ association has written a letter 1.5 years ago. If Modi is not encouraging corruption, then why is he quiet? RUPSA, an association of unaided educational institutions, has written a letter alleging corruption. An ADGP-level officer is in jail in the police SB inspector recruitment case, Eshwarappa resigned after one Santhosh Patil committed suicide because Eshwarappa demanded “40 per cent commission”.
I have never indulged in appeasement. Muslims are citizens of this country. I respect Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jains, and all other communities because I treat them as humans. Not as Muslims or Hindus. I have not withdrawn the cases against the PFI. Let the BJP produce the orders where I have withdrawn the cases…..Why did they raise the hijab issue, why the azaan or the halal issue? The Lingayats wanted to be included in the 2A category of the OBC. They never asked to abolish the Muslim quota and divide it between Vokkaligas and Lingayats. Is this not hate politics?
Do you think corruption has seeped into the mindset of the people against the BJP?
Definitely. It has gone into the minds of the people. The people have decided to overthrow this government in the next election.
One more charge against the Congress is against you. A senior BJP leader told us that Mr Siddaramaiah is the leader of the Muslims and Muslim appeasement. How do you react?
I have never indulged in appeasement. Muslims are citizens of this country. They are also human beings. I respect Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jains, and all other communities because I treat them as humans. Not as Muslims or Hindus.
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Was withdrawing the cases against the Popular Front of India (PFI) part of the appeasement?
That’s not true at all. I have not withdrawn the cases against the PFI. Let the BJP produce the orders where I have withdrawn the cases. There must be some orders… They should produce it, why are they not doing so? They are only making allegations.
The BJP says they are withdrawing the four per cent reservation as it is a classic case of appeasement by the former Congress government…
It is not appeasement. It is a Constitutional right given to Muslims. It was given in May 1995. That is 28 years ago. Has it been challenged in a court of law? Is there a judgment against it in the High Court or Supreme Court or the Backward Class Commission? Is there any report?
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The SC court has also stayed it …
Yes. Why has the BJP decided that? It is not the case for the Vokkaligas or the Lingayats. The Vokkaligas wanted reservation according to their population. Their population is 12%, now they are 14% and are seeking 12% reservation. The Lingayats wanted to be included in the 2A category of the Other Backward Class (OBC). They never asked to abolish the Muslim quota and divide it between Vokkaligas and Lingayats. Is this not hate politics?
You are saying the BJP is doing hate politics….
A 100%. Why did they raise the hijab issue, why the azaan or the halal issue? They are not at all relevant.
Are these (hijab, halal, azaan) going to be an issue in this election?
Not at all. It will backfire on the BJP.
B S Yediyurappa has been advising the BJP that these are not the issues and saying that repeatedly.
It is not an issue at all.
There seems to be some disappointment that you have not been given the seat of Kolar. Does it bother you?
I had promised the people of Kolar that if the high command agrees, I will contest. I told the people that they demanded that I should contest Kolar, so it will be fulfilled only if the high command agrees. I was not asking the high command to give me a second seat. I never asked for it.
Why did the high command not agree to you contesting from Kolar?
The high command is sure that I will win from Varuna itself. When I am winning from Varuna, why deny an opportunity to another person?
Was it not that local leaders were working against you and there was anti-incumbency. The surveys also showed that you were not doing well there…
I won twice from Varuna…My village falls in that constituency. My son won from that constituency. I also won by a margin of 30,000 from the seat. Varuna is my native constituency.
In the Kolar rally, we saw the billboard with a picture of Shivakumar and you and the Congress symbol of the hand in between. Who is the CM face of Congress? Even the BJP says that you are the mass leader in the Congress…
I am also an aspirant, D K Shivakumar is also an aspirant. Ultimately the newly elected MLAs will have to elect the leader of the legislator party. Based on the opinion of the newly elected MLAs, the high command has to decide. That is a democratic procedure.
There is no fight between Shivakumar and you?
There is no fight. He is also an aspirant, so am I. Let the newly elected MLAs decide.
Why has Modi not done magic in Punjab, Delhi, West Bengal, and more recently Himachal Pradesh? Modi went and spoke in HP as well and addressed many rallies…what happened? There is no Modi tsunami at all. Otherwise, all the states in the country should have had BJP governments…I am asking Narendra Modi ji……you are in power, you are the PM and have been in power for the past nine years. Don’t just make allegations, punish those who are involved in corruption, or have indulged in corruption, you punish them all.
Rahul Gandhi also said that he is very happy that the Karnataka top leadership is fighting this election jointly.
100%. We will get more than 150 seats this time.
Gandhi also said that ‘agar kam aaya toh’ (if you get less than the majority)’, the BJP will take away or steal our government if you get less number of seats.
That is because the BJP launched Operation Kamala twice. For the first time, the name Operation Kamala came into force then.
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You have also launched Operation Hasta…
We are not doing that. People are joining us voluntarily and we are welcoming them. Operation Hasta and Operation Kamala are different.
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