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Lingayat community’s self-respect was hurt, says former K’taka CM Shettar
Former Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar has joined the Congress after being denied a ticket by the BJP for the upcoming assembly polls.
Former chief minister Jagadish Shettar left the Bharatiya Janata Party after being denied a ticket in the upcoming assembly polls. After joining the Congress, Shettar has blamed senior BJP leaders, including national general secretary B L Santhosh, for targeting him. In an interview to Gerard de Souza, the Lingayat strongman spoke about the insults he faced, how his community has backed him and his plans in the Congress.
Edited excepts:
Five days on from switching from the BJP to Congress, are you happy with your decision to switch or do you have any regrets?
Because of what they have done, it has affected my self-respect. I am very much hurt… I have explained my stance in so many interviews. Self-respect is very important. It is the hurt and insult (that has driven me to do this). After joining Congress, immediately we are facing elections. I am contesting on a Congress ticket and local Congress leaders and workers have welcomed me. My well-wishers earlier are also with me. So, this will be my seventh time contesting. The earlier six times, when I contested on a BJP ticket, I got elected. This time, I’m contesting on behalf of the Congress party and will definitely be elected with a huge margin.
The BJP has accused you of enjoying every possible position thanks to the party, and now because they have rejected your candidature, you have jumped ship.
Why was my ticket rejected? They have not given me an answer. My age is 67, so age can’t be a factor. There are no corruption or scandal to my name; no blemish. I have a clean image. What is the reason for the denial of the ticket? I want an answer. Nobody has answered. I may have enjoyed positions, but a lot of others, too, are there who have enjoyed positions. Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the (Madhya Pradesh) chief minister for the fourth time now. Have you ever denied him a position? Why is Jagadish singled out? I don’t want to become chief minister or any minister. All I wanted to do was become a simple MLA. Why was it denied? I want reasons.
Why do you think the BJP has denied you a ticket? Did you do something to upset them?
The High Command has not suggested that I join the (B S Bommai) cabinet. So, that can’t be a reason. Everyone wants power. I myself denied power. Why should the high command be unhappy with me?
Is there a reason for you to believe that certain leaders in the BJP, even at the top level, are jealous of you becoming a big leader?
Definitely. I am the senior-most leader in the party and the community leader after Yediyurappa. For that, there is envy. If Jagadish Shettar is elected, he will become the senior-most and will have the authority to claim a high post. This despite me telling the high command that I will not claim any post, CM post or ministry post or anything. I said I was willing to be just an MLA for the full five year term. All I wanted was to be with the people and serve the people. My comfort zone is in having discussions and attending to the problems of the people. This is the last leg of my political career. I wanted to be with the people, for the development of the area, this has been my aim with the support of the government. After this, I will respectfully exit from the political arena. This was my only demand, which was really a minuscule demand. Even that they didn’t want to do.
Do you think the BJP wants to bring in a Brahmin face? Is the BJP doing this to promote either Pralhad Joshi or B L Santosh at your cost?
I don’t want to comment now on what the BJP wants to do. I don’t know. It is left to them what they want to do now.
The Congress tends to be very different from the BJP. The BJP is very organised, has a clear structure. How are you finding your feet?
I am a common man. I like all communities. Even in my six terms as an MLA, I didn’t have conflict with anybody. I love all communities. There is no problem for me being a part of the Congress. The Congress rank and file has wholeheartedly supported me. All are saying that they had one of us to get the ticket that would have provoked infighting, but now that Jagdish Shettar has come, they have wholeheartedly supported me. From day one, they are campaigning with me.
The Congress agenda has been to highlight the corruption of the BJP with the slogan 40% Commission Sarkar. You have been part of the BJP.
As a party they are doing it. Whether it is 40% or anything, corruption is there. So, my cause is that my self-respect is hurt, other issues they will take as a political party and they will fight.
As a leader of the Lingayat community, do you think that the BJP has insulted your community by denying you a ticket?
A lot of people in Karnataka, especially in north Karnataka, are calling me by telephone and expressing. Not only Jagadish Shettar, they are saying that our (the community’s) self-respect is hurt by the BJP. That whatever decision you have taken is 100% correct and we are going to support you. In a lot of districts and talukas, the community people have started joining the Congress, who were in the BJP.
The community is influenced by a lot of seers and mutts whose diktats are often followed by the voters. Have they extended support to you?
So many of them have extended support to me… (rattles off some names). So many seers have also supported my cause. They have openly supported my cause, saying that it is injustice to Jagadish Shettar.
Are you a contender for the chief minister’s post should the Congress win a majority?
I’m not a CM candidate. I’m a new entry to the Congress party. I have not put any conditions on the Congress party. I work for the Congress and I work for the winnability of the Congress to get a clear majority. I have not claimed anything, CM post or any other post. All I have said is treat us with high respect and treat me with honour.
What is your personal equation with Congress leaders like Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar?
My personal relation is always there. When he was CM, I was the leader of the opposition. When I was the CM, he was the leader of the opposition. Personally, we are good friends. Only as part of our duty, I had taken very good issues as opposition leader, criticised the government and projected the issues strongly in the assembly.
