Speculations finally ends in Karnataka ,Confusion persists | A. Jayaram

Published on 13-03-2008 In National

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Speculations finally ends in Karnataka ,Confusion persists

The week gone by has put an end to the long period of speculation in the media and political circles about the resignation of S.M.Krishna as Governor of Maharashtra to reenter politics and the entry of the Janata Dal veteran M.P.Prakash into the Congress.

The question to be raised is "will these two significant developments boost the chances of the Congress to regain power in Karnataka?" Both the leaders are assets to any political party as they stand far above the mediocrity that pervades the political parties in the State, as also the country. It was always a treat to listen to their speeches in Kannada or English in and outside the legislature especially in view of the fact that there are not many politicians who can speak with facts and also express independent views.

Giving preference to Prakash though he is junior to Krishna, it can be said that the AICC and the KPCC have treated him rather clumsily. He was made to wait for too long and his sudden entry without much fanfare came as an anti-climax. The indecision on the part of the Party organization, lent the impression that it was not enthusiastic about his entry. The Congress should have grabbed the opportunity to rope in a stalwart of the Janata Dal in the State who had parted ways with H.D.Deve Gowda. But it showed no such political adroitness and treated Prakash as though he is another run of the mill politician. For over two decades, Prakash had remained a pillar of the anti-Congress political movement in the State. He rose to positions like deputy chief minister and President of the State Janata Dal (Secular) through merit and not because of anybody's courtesy. Deve Gowda, who has converted the JD (S) into a limited company with his sons, placed Prakash below H.D.Kumaraswamy if not H.D.Revanna ignoring his merit and seniority. After bringing down the BJP government, Gowda held out the carrot of Chief Ministership to Prakash if the JD (S) came to power after the elections. He did not fall for that bait. The way the Congress treated him is an affront to his standing in the public life of the State. The Party has admitted him, as it badly needed a popular Lingayat leader. But like S.M.Krishna, Prakash cannot be termed a leader of the masses. He is more of an intellectual and Karnataka needs likes of him too.

Unlike the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party had welcomed Prakash with open arms despite opposition from a section of Partymen in Bellary District. The BJP in that district is dominated by Reddy "moneybags" from Andhra Pradesh who have displaced the Lingayats who were dominating politics in the District for decades. However it is noteworthy that Bellary has the record of electing Brahmins to the Lok Sabha in five elections till 1971. The Gandhian and leading parliamentarian Tekur Subramanya and Dr.V.K.R.V.Rao had represented Bellary. Prakash himself is from a political family. His father P.P.Patil was an MLC.

Prakash has joined the Congress knowing full well that he will not be the chief ministerial candidate of the Party. Atleast he received a not-to-be believed promise from Deve Gowda in that regard, but there is not even a hint about it from the Congress.

With S.M.Krishna's return to State politics, there is expected to be a medley race in the Congress for the chief Ministership if it is voted back to power. It cannot be called a re-entry to State politics, as he did not seem to have severed his ties with the Party and politics.

It may be mentioned that Krishna came to be shifted out of Karnataka politics by the Party high command to help the smooth functioning of the erstwhile Congress-JD (S) government headed by Dharam Singh. Krishna was at loggerheads with Deve Gowda with the latter levelling allegations against him with regard to the affairs of the Bangalore Development Authority or those pertaining to the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project. Even after becoming the Governor of Maharashtra, Krishna had once flown down to Bangalore to address a press conference hitting out at Deve Gowda. He was thus never the ideal apolitical governor. The lure of power was too strong for him and that has brought him back to Bangalore.

As it is too well known, not everyone in the Congress is happy over his homecoming. No doubt, none will speak out openly as the Party High Command has taken the decision. Though politicians in Karnataka have adopted a common minimum programme of desisting from levelling allegations of corruption against each other, it is too well known that some of those who were in the Krishna ministry with modest family background came to amass huge wealth, especially in the form of real estate. With Krishna around, Dharam Singh cannot expect to regain the chief Ministership he lost in 2006. The KPCC President Mallikarjun Kharge's fond hopes have been dashed. No doubt Krishna is far senior to them in politics and they cannot grumble if he makes it to the top once again. He was first elected to the State Assembly in 1962 on the Praja Socialist Party ticket. He had made a mark as a parliamentarian within months of his election to the fourth Lok Sabha in 1967, which came to be known for its large opposition group and redoubtable members. Krishna was selected to accompany the former Prime Minister Morarji Desai and others as a member of a parliamentary delegation to New Zealand in 1968.

He has seen more number of "downs" than "ups" in his career. Another of his juniors, R.Gundu Rao became the chief minister in 1980 itself, although he was only a junior minister in the Devaraj Urs government. Krishna was the Industries minister in the Urs Cabinet. Later a relative new entrant and party hopper like S.Bangarappa and another of his juniors Veerappa Moily came to head the government. Swallowing his pride, Krishna served as deputy chief minister under Moily.

The Congress will bank on Krishna to woo the urban and educated voter in the next Assembly elections and dent the BJP's vote bank. He still has an unsullied image as being progressive and pro-development.

There are today aspirants galore for the chief Ministership in the Congress and newcomer Siddaramaiah too is in the reckoning.

Congress sources say that the main reason for Krishna vacating the Mumbai Raj Bhavan is his eagerness to avenge the Party's defeat in the 2004 Assembly elections under his leadership. At that time, he was unsure of his own victory from his home constituency Maddur and shifted to Chamarajpet in Bangalore. He is stated to be also eager to show Deve Gowda and his dynasty, their places in Karnataka politics. With the State being under President's rule, there is no prospect of Krishna being elected to the Rajya Sabha when four seats from the State fall vacant later this month and joining the Union Cabinet. No doubt if the AICC wills he can get elected from another State. He has the mettle to shine at the national level.

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