BJP is facing the fire of dissidence in Karnataka, says Jairam Ramesh

'People should vote for Congress because the true double engine is Congress,' he said

Jairam Ramesh, Congress General Secretary (Communications) and a Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka is one of the main election strategists for his party. He spoke to DH’s Shemin Joy on Karnataka elections and Congress’ prospects.

How is Karnataka shaping up?

The momentum is with us. It is the BJP which is facing the fire of dissidence. The image of the BJP as a monolithic, disciplined entity is shattered. Frankly, all signals point to a decisive change, not a marginal change. In this election, the issues are local. This is a state election and not for the Parliament. The Congress was quick in unveiling its positive agenda for governance for the past couple of months. I think the first signal of change came during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. We walked through Karnataka – Chamrajnagar, Mysuru, Mandya, Tumkur, Chitradurga, Bellari, Raichur – for three weeks. It was very clear that people were coming out in very large numbers. It was not just party workers but common people, people from the civil society joined the yatra. From then, it was clear that the Congress had struck a chord.

You spoke about the macro picture. But why should people vote for Congress?

This is not an election fought on national issues. (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and (UP Chief Minister) Yogi Adityanath will undoubtedly try to make it a national issue election. But to use the Prime Minister's own language, this is ‘vocal for local’. The Congress strategy is to focus relentlessly on local issues and governance, focus on the issue that corruption has reached unprecedented levels, poor delivery.

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Does Congress have a plan to counter the double-engine narrative?

This is not an election for a double engine as it is a state election. Their double engine on the one side is creating this illusion, the 'garam hawa' (hot air) of development under Modi while the other is practising the art of polarisation. People should vote for Congress because the true double engine is Congress. It internalises the double engine of growth and social harmony. These are the real engines of India and only the Congress can bring these two engines together. Tradition of Karnataka is that of harmony, peace, tolerance. It has never been a place of intolerance.

How will you make this election a local one?

The Congress strategy is to focus relentlessly on local issues. There is unprecedented corruption, frightening levels of social polarisation, and collapse of infrastructure. The track record of the BJP is there for people to see. There is unprecedented corruption, frightening levels of social polarisation, and collapse of infrastructure. The Prime Minister inaugurates a highway and the next day it gets washed away because of rains. You have to understand that Karnataka is not a poor state. When someone says a double-engine government in Karnataka, I laugh because 94% of the revenue of the state is generated by the state itself and its share of central taxes, which it is Constitutionally entitled to. It is not a favour that Modi has showered on Karnataka.

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Isn't it premature to be confident about a Congress victory now, especially when Modi is yet to launch his campaign?

I am confident but not overconfident. I don't think we can be complacent. The elections go down to the wire. It is fought till the last vote is cast. The BJP is a master of management, not only of the campaign but also of voting day. A lot depends on how you mobilise your voters on that day. I think we should not underestimate the BJP, as it is still a mighty machine. But ever since October when he had the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka and before that the Mekadatu Yatra, it was very clear people are yearning for change. Look at the way the BJP has faced turbulence in the distribution of tickets. A former Chief Minister, a former Deputy Chief Minister, so many senior leaders join us. This is quite unprecedented. People used to leave Congress and join other parties. Senior leaders leaving the BJP and coming to us is interesting. It should tell you something.

You referred to Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi, who were hardcore BJP leaders. Isn't their induction a dilution of ideology?

I don't think we are compromising on our ideology. We never compromised on our ideology when we formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi with Shiv Sena (UBT) in Maharashtra. But we found a way of working with Sena. Both the leaders you mentioned are senior leaders in their own right. They are not just community leaders. They have also realised the writing on the wall and it is time to change. In Karnataka, the governance has really collapsed. The reason why Karnataka is running despite a collapse is because there is a system put in place by the previous Congress governments. It has a system that can absorb this collapse.

So the trouble in BJP is a good sign for the Congress?

The demand for Congress tickets is a good index. I have never seen dissidence at such low levels in the Congress after ticket distribution. We always faced a lot of turbulence but barring a few instances, this time it was very less. This is a new phenomenon for us just as the extraordinary high level of dissidence in the BJP.

In 2018, you supported a special religion tag for Lingayats but it didn't help you. So why this push again on Lingayats?

We are appealing to all sections of the society. The Congress has always been saying we derive our strength from all sections of the society. That has been our traditional approach. We are not a sectarian party. We are not some one which derives strength from just one section of the society. Our relentless focus is on local issues and not getting sidetracked or derailed by discussing other things.

How will Kharge as Congress president help the party in this election?

Kharge as Congress president is closely involved. A veteran of 50 years of experience and hailing from Karnataka, he knows the ground realities. He brings a level of knowledge of the state that is unparalleled. He rose from block president to the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress president. Congress has a lot of achievements to talk about. Take the case of Article 371(J), which gives special status for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region. That is the contribution of Kharge when the UPA government was in power.

What are the campaign plans?

We have the Congress president, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar campaigning extensively. For the first time, we have unveiled a developmental programme well in advance. A lot of thought has gone into that. It is not just a ‘Throw BJP Out’ campaign. It is positive, constructive, brings us back so that we can work our agenda out kind of campaign. We also have a region-wise agenda too. The level of detail and planning that has gone in has been truly extraordinary.

How do you place JD(S) in this election?

JD(S) is not a state player, it is a regional player. But it is a factor. They have pockets of influence. During the BJY-I, we went through so-called strongholds of JD(S) but we got tremendous response in those areas. Even some JD(S) leaders joined us.

What impact will Karnataka elections have on Opposition unity?

This is Karnataka elections, then we have five other state elections later this year. Next four-five months, we will be concentrating on these states. Opposition talks will go on but I don't see anything crystallising immediately. Now we are busy fighting Karnataka now and we will be busy in five states later. Who knows Jammu and Kashmir elections may also come.

You spoke about the impact of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka elections. Can we expect the second edition of the yatra?

Rahul Gandhi has spoken about the need to keep up the momentum. I know that he is very keen that we do not lose the momentum. Whether we will have a BJY-2 and in what form, these things are there. If at all it has to happen, it has to be an east-to-west yatra, as we already have done the south-north yatra.