Today, as JD(S) candidate from Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency, Radhakrishna said he entered the political arena with a purpose. “My contesting elections is a pious protest against commercialization of politics — Operation Lotus — of BJP. This party fought relentlessly against defections, but has now brought disgrace to a sacred flower like the lotus,’’ he told the TOI here on Wednesday.
Accompanied by JD(S) functionaries Dodda Ganesh and Rajesh Gundu Rao as his campaigners, the 61-year-old Radhakrishna is aware that the JD(S) campaign pales in comparison with the highdecibel one of his rivals, Ananth Kumar (BJP) and Krishna Byregowda (Congress). He prefers to take every call that comes on his two cellphones between meetings, which happen to be his old students calling to pledge support.
“I’m not going to play any electoral gimmicks and will spend less than the stipulated Rs 25 lakh ceiling. Also, my political opponents are not my pratispardhis (rivals), but sahaspardhis (co-contestants),’’ he maintained.
He is upset over the hate speeches being delivered by some candidates and that BJP’s PM candidate L K Advani has compared Varun Gandhi to Jayaprakash Narayan. “Kashi Vishwanath woke up to the music of Ustad Bismillah Khan, and temple chariots are made by Muslims. This hate campaign is dangerous and I’m in politics to arrest this,’’ Radhakrishna said.
He is also contemptuous towards the manner in which the BJP has made candidates of persons it netted under Operation Lotus. “Under Operation Lotus, somebody is brought and made a candidate overnight! Some like C P Yogeshwar have the gumption to say he was lured by money and power,’’ he added.
Kashi Vishwanath woke up to the music of Ustad Bismillah Khan, and temple chariots are made by Muslims. This (BJP’s) hate campaign is dangerous, says Radhakrishna
