Karnataka BJP leader and LoP R Ashoka.
Credit: DH Photo/ Pushkar V
Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka has been the flag-bearing castigator of the Congress government. In a chat with DH’s Bharath Joshi, Ashoka maintains that the grand old party cannot provide a stable government in Karnataka. Excerpts:
How do you assess the prospects of the BJP and JD(S) in Karnataka?
This is a national election to decide who should be India’s next prime minister. For the first time in India’s history, the Modi government is facing a pro-incumbency wave even after 10 years in power. The NDA led by Modi is poised to win 400+ seats and come back to power. On the other hand, Congress and INDI alliance have no leadership. They don’t know who their PM candidate is. In Karnataka, they’re talking only about the five guarantees. Why aren’t they seeking votes in Rahul Gandhi’s name or on the performance of 10 years of the UPA government? There’s a Modi wave in all 28 seats across the state and people want to see him as PM again. So, we’re confident that the NDA will win all 28 seats.
But CM Siddaramaiah says there’s a ‘guarantee wave’ and not ‘Modi wave’ in Karnataka.
I’ve been travelling across the state for two months. In fact, the Modi wave is much more intensive and expansive than it was in 2014 and 2019. People are disillusioned by Congress’ guarantees. There’s only one guarantee that people trust, and it’s the Modi Guarantee.
How do you think women receiving benefits under the guarantee schemes are voting?
I agree that initially people were excited about Congress’ guarantees. But they’ve now realised that the guarantees are bogus and fake. People have understood that Congress is just playing the gimmick of “give with one hand and take away with the other”. Congress is saying that every family is getting benefits worth Rs 5,000-6,000. In reality, people are suffering as the government has increased prices of almost everything - liquor, stamp duty, property taxes, property registration charges, guidance value...They’ve even increased birth and death certificate fees...milk, curd, electricity and water prices have gone up. So, people have understood that Congress is robbing people’s money, which is being given back to them as guarantees.
In the Assembly election last year, the Vokkaliga community seemed to have preferred Congress, especially D K Shivakumar. With JD(S) on your side now, will the community continue to lean towards Congress?
Where’s the Vokkaliga leadership in Congress? Congress has always betrayed and insulted Vokkaligas. It was the same Congress that brought down H D Deve Gowda’s government within 10 months. It was the same Congress that humiliated S M Krishna when he was on foreign soil and disgracefully removed him as the external affairs minister. It’s the same Congress that opposed the construction of Kempegowda’s statue at Bengaluru airport. It’s the same Congress that has insulted the Vidhana Soudha, built by Kengal Hanumantaiah, by allowing ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans to be shouted. Vokkaligas will never support Congress.
Is BJP depending on Vokkaliga leaders like you to gain the community’s support?
I take pride that I’m a Mannina Maga (son of soil). I’m proud that I belong to a community that gave birth to great leaders like Nadaprabhu Kempgowda. But our party doesn’t believe in caste-based leadership. But of course, no one can deny that caste is a factor in politics. People of the Old Mysuru region have accepted me as their leader. That’s why my party has given me the responsibility of Leader of the Opposition. Like every other karyakarta, I’m doing my bit in helping the party in whatever way I can.
You’ve been repeatedly attacking the Congress government for failures. What, according to you, is the biggest failure of this government?
I’ve never seen any government losing its popularity within just 10 months of coming to power. The Congress government has miserably failed Karnataka on all fronts. If elections are held today, Congress won’t cross 50 seats. Despite Covid-19, the BJP government was successful in managing the state's economy and attracting the highest FDI into Karnataka. But due to Congress’ poor governance and mismanagement, Karnataka has dropped to 4th place in FDI. Capital expenditure has gone down drastically. The guarantees have made the government bankrupt leaving no money for development. In the last 10 months, not even a single inch of road has been constructed, not even a single brick laid in the name of development. The Deputy CM and the CM's financial advisor have admitted that guarantees have become a burden and there’s no money for development. That’s why Congress is trying to create a fake narrative that the central government is doing injustice to Karnataka to hide its fiscal profligacy. In Siddaramaiah's first term, Karnataka's debt rose from Rs 1.39 lakh crore to Rs 2.86 lakh crore in just five years. The annual interest burden on the state shot up from Rs 8,500 crore to Rs 16,208 crore, leaving a debt burden of Rs 44,000 on every citizen. His second term is also pushing the state into a serious debt crisis. That's why we’re demanding a white paper on the state's finances.
You’ve also said that the Congress government will fall after the Lok Sabha elections. Why?
It’s not me or my party saying this. Siddaramaiah, while campaigning in Varuna, said he can remain untouched after the Lok Sabha polls only if people give him a lead of 60,000 votes. His close associates - Gubbi MLA Srinivas and Minister K N Rajanna - have been repeatedly saying that if Congress performs badly, then Siddaramaiah will have to step down. On the other hand, D K Shivakumar is saying that everything has been decided in Delhi and he’ll become CM soon. The Karnataka Congress is a divided house and it can never provide a stable government.
Siddaramaiah has claimed that the BJP is offering money to Congress MLAs. Is the BJP trying to destabilise the government?
BJP will never try to destabilise the government, nor is it necessary. The Congress government will fall on its own. The Congress party itself will break into factions after Lok Sabha polls due to internal fight and one-upmanship.
DK Shivakumar has described you as a “spineless” leader.
People of Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituency will show who is spineless on June 4. Nonetheless, people in politics and public life should have a good heart more than anything. Shivakumar doesn’t have that.