Affable and soft spoken Karnataka BJP President D V Sadananda Gowda hails from coastal Dakshina Kannada district. Though BJP and its earlier avatar of Bharatiya Jan Sangh has been quite active in the coastal region right from the beginning, DVS, as he is popularly known among the party activists, is the first person from the district to reach the top-most post from the district. The 56-year-old leader, who graduated in science from St Philomena’s College, Puttur, was born in a middle-class family in Mandekolu village of Sullia taluk. After obtaining his law degree, he started his legal practice in Sullia and Puttur taluks in 1976 and did a brief stint as a Public Prosecutor in Sirsi of neighbouring Uttara Kannada district. An active Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) worker from his student days, he quit his government job and entered politics. Though he contested unsuccessfully in the 1989 assembly polls, he tasted success in 1994 to become a BJP MLA from Puttur and retained his seat in 1999, which turned out to be the stepping stone for a bigger political role by getting elected as an MP from Mangalore when BJP replaced former union minister V Dhananjaya Kumar. He was appointed state BJP president in March 2006 and got himself re-elected in March 2007. He is now seeking re-election as MP from Udupi lok sabha constituency, which comprises of the three assembly segments of Chikmagalur district. In an interview with Gabriel Vaz of Daijiworld, he predicts BJP ``will definitely win 20 to 23 of the 28 lok sabha seats from Karnataka’’ and confidently asserts, ``it should not come as a surprise if we make a clean sweep of all the seats.’’
Q. You as well as Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and other BJP leaders seem to be over-confident. What is the reason for this cockiness?
A. Well. You can’t term it as over-confidence or cockiness. We won 18 of the 28 seats in 2004 when we were in the opposition in the state. The situation has changed drastically since then. The last two budgets of Yeddyurappa as Deputy CM and finance minister and the two budgets as the CM of a full-fledged BJP government in the state and the government’s performance during the last 10 months, in which we have fulfilled 90% of our poll promises in the first year even though the electoral manifesto is for a five-year term, is the reason for our confidence. We will definitely win 20 to 23 of the 28 seats from Karnataka. It should not come as a surprise if we make a clean sweep of all seats.
Q. In 2004, you faced the lok sabha polls under A B Vajpayee’s leadership. There were several charismatic leaders like Pramod Mahajan and Uma Bharti and many others. Further, you had campaigned under India Shining slogan based on the six-year NDA rule under Vajpayee. The situation is totally different now with depleted NDA and Congress-led UPA has completing its five-year term. A. You are partly correct. But you should also accept the fact that UPA’s performance has been a total failure. From its failures in dealing with terrorism to maintaining law and order situation, internal security, handling the economy and controlling the prices of essential commodities despite a fall in inflation rates, checking unemployment and other problems, it has failed to deliver on almost all fronts. You don’t have to go by what we say. Just listen to what the Left parties, who were responsible for cobbling together the UPA post-polls in 2004, are saying or why Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD and Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP, two of the staunchest and so-called ``secular’’ allies of Congress, were unwilling to enter into an electoral understanding in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. True, some of our allies have left. But we have got new allies and BJP is ruling in eight states. We will make up for our weakness in the south in Karnataka. Except for Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, Congress is friendless in most states. Whether Sharad Pawar’s NCP will remain with Congress after elections is doubtful. And I don’t want to say anything about the third front or JD(S).
If Dr Manmohan Singh is acknowledged as the weakest PM that the country has seen, we have strong and capable leader in L K Advani. Building a strong, stable and self-respecting India is NDA’s goal and commitment. More importantly, the six-year NDA rule under Vajpayee and the lack-lustre UPA rule provide the necessary benchmarks for the people to decide. I have no doubt whatsoever about a decisive victory for NDA and Advani becoming the next PM.
Q. Despite your claims about BJP’s growing strength in the state, why is it that your party is relying on borrowed or poached leaders from your rival parties like Congress or JD(S) in half a dozen constituencies? In fact, most of your MLAs were originally from other parties …
A. You must remember that BJP was formed barely 30 year ago. Naturally, therefore, we have to depend upon leaders from other parties if we are to grow in strength. Tell me whether the present Congress is the same as the organization that fought for the freedom struggle? Situations change and we have to adopt new strategies if we are to grow. But we are careful in admitting people only if we are convinced that the new entrants accept our party principles, policies, programmes and ideology and owe allegiance to our leadership. Some leaders quit within a couple of years after joining. But this is true of all parties.
Whether in the assembly or parliamentary elections, winnability and local conditions are important factors in the selection of candidates. We are in politics to win so that we can help in building a modern India.
Q. The present election has witnessed the maximum number of violations of the model code of conduct of elections with BJP as the biggest offender. In fact, Shimoga and Bellary districts are top in the list of violations in the state.
A. First of all, please understand that mere filing of complaints do not amount to actual violations. The complaints need to be investigated and only if they are proved, by the Election Commission or other competent authorities, they can be termed as violations. Now, you should appreciate the fact that the BJP was the only party which declared its candidates for majority of the lok sabha seats in the state while Congress and JD(S) were busy ironing out their internal differences or waiting for a clear picture of the electoral scene, And, therefore, the Congress and JD(S) leaders and their workers had no other work except to lodge false complaints to tarnish the ruling party’s image. With no serious developments, the media gave these complaints undue publicity. I don’t blame the media. But what is the truth behind the complaints lodged against BJP? It is for the electoral authorities to set right matters.
Q. Also, the present election has given rise to spread of hate-mongering with BJP leaders like Ananth Kumar Hegde in Uttara Kannada or Renukacharya in Davangere or Kagodu Thimmappa in Sagar talking of chopping off hands, legs or heads. Why?
A. It is not correct. Both Hegde and Renukacharya have clarified matters. The EC is seized of the issue. I condemn anybody inciting or fomenting hatred and violence against any community or religion. Even the CM has condemned such behavior. BJP does not believe in vote-bank politics or trying to polarise people based on their religion.
A. Our commitment to Hindutva must be viewed in the broader perspective of cultural identity. Even the Supreme Court has accepted Hindutva as a cultural identity and way of life. All citizens, be they Muslims, Christians or Parsees must accept Hindutva as cultural identify of India like the air they breathe, water they drink and the food they consume. But Hindutva should not be viewed as a weapon to terrorise the minorities.
Q. There is also the question of attacks and churches and places of worship belonging to Christians in Mangalore, Bangalore and other places. Women and girls are the targets of violent attacks in Mangalore and these incidents are increasing …
A. We never support or condone such incidents and attacks. You should appreciate that the government took swift action and arrested the guilty persons. In fact, a key person has been externed from the district. The government cannot be blamed for the activities of anti-social elements. In fact, the government’s prompt action has been appreciated by Christians and even the Bishop of Mangalore.
A. It is not correct. Mangalore is BJP’s stronghold to such an extent that we can win the seat by fielding even a newcomer, which is what we have done. But the voters of Udupi felt let down by their previous MPs from BJP like I M Jayarama Shetty and Manorama Madhwarj. Even in Chikmagalur, a respected leader like D C Srikantappa, who had won despite his old age and ill-health, is no more. Hence, the party wanted a strong and capable person and, as state president, I had to contest. Further, the Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency is beset with several problems like the Naxal menace, the Datta Peetha (Bababudangiri) shrine issue, problems of arecanut and coffee growers as well as several other problems peculiar to coastal and malnad regions. The party felt I am the right candidate for this crucial constituency. We are sure to win both the seats of Mangalore and Udupi.
