Tieup with Congress means gifting Karnataka to BJP: HD Kumaraswamy, former CM

Janata Dal (S) is the dark horse in the runup to the 2018 Karnataka assembly elections. Amid speculation of a Mahagathbandhan with the ruling Congress against the principal opposition BJP, JD(S) state president and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy is working round the clock, drawing up his strategies.

He accused the BJP of “political terrorism” and told Sowmya Aji, “I will stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Ashwamedha horse on the borders of Karnataka. The people here have given BJP and Congress a chance. It will be our turn now to form government.”

Will you ally with the Congress in a Mahaghatbhandan to stop the BJP?
There will be no alliance with the Congress. If I make an alliance, I will be handing over the state the BJP on a golden platter, as anti-incumbency against the Congress will hit us too.

The situation in Karnataka is not similar to that in Uttar Pradesh or Bihar. The Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh did not even do a post mortem and identify their shortcomings after losing 73 seats to the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

We will not do that. We have worked out our problems and drawn up our winning strategy. I will stop Modi’s Ashwameda horse at the Karnataka border. We will form government here, on our own.

How will you face up to the might of two national parties?
It is certainly agni pariksha for all of us — our party, the Congress and the BJP. Congress will fight very hard to retain Karnataka, the BJP wants to make India itself Congress-mukt.

Our party, however, has been out of power for 10 years and this election is a fight for survival and personally, a test of my leadership. At the lowest ebb of my popularity, in 2008, we won 28 seats.

In 2013, JD(S) vote share was higher than the BJP’s. Even in Bengaluru, as per an internal survey of the Congress, our vote share has gone up by 6 per cent, though we have not even begun working there. There is inherent support for our party and policies. The people gave the BJP and the Congress a chance. It will be our turn this time.

Why do you think a regional party like yours will win, when they are failing in other states?
I admit, currently, there is a collective madness in the country where Modi is concerned. The BJP has a single point agenda to wipe out all opposition, whether it is the Congress or regional parties.

This is political terrorism. BJP national president Amit Shah’s statement that the BJP has to be in power from panchayat to Parliament is nothing short of frightening and a wake-up call to the people.

They will see what is happening and respond. We do not have the money power to face these elections as the Congress is set to spend Rs 10 crore per assembly constituency and the BJP will match it.

I think, however, the people are sick of fascism as well as money power. They will vote for us. I have had two surveys done and I find, even if we go to elections today, my party will win 85 seats. I am now concentrating on the remaining 25-odd seats we need to form government.

What is your strategy to win?
Caste-based calculations are always there and I am aware of the shortcomings of my party. I am working with second line leaders across the communities where we are weak and building up our strength.

My main plank, however, is that both the Congress and the BJP are anti-farmer. People belonging to all communities are farmers, but neither national party has bothered to help them, despite the continuous spate of suicides in this state due to the drought.

Siddaramaiah has announced programmes for the poor and backward communities from platforms but it has not translated to anything on the ground. Modi builds castles in the air through his talk, but has done nothing at all in reality. People still remember the 20 months when I was chief minister of Karnataka. That is the basis on which I will ask for votes.

Is there a focus on youth, giving their increasing clout in voting patterns?
I am reaching out to all colleges and asking them if I can have personal interactions with students, where they can ask me any questions or issues that they have with politics and policies. It is also clear now that social media is a very effective tool. I am increasing our party’s presence on social media, I am also holding interaction meetings with our social media followers in every district.

Will your son or nephew contest?
My nephew is interested but we are not giving him a ticket. I have kept my son completely away. I myself am an accidental politician and I’m unhappy with the kind of politics we have to do survive. I am continuing because I owe it to my party workers.