The Tuesday Interview|'Evolving mechanisms for speedy disposal of cases of crimes against women’

Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs, and Tourism H K Patil is known for being astute and making calculated statements. In a freewheeling chat with DH’s N B Hombal, the senior Congress lawmaker said his party is trying to bring “attitudinal” change to the government’s functioning. The implementation of the five guarantees would go a long way towards making the electorate believe manifestos and forcing political rivals to fulfil poll promises, he says. Excerpts: 

At 135 seats, the Congress won the 2023 Assembly election by a huge margin. What was the biggest takeaway for you from this election?

We brought about a big change even before the election began. Issuing guarantee cards prior to elections was a commitment to our people, who had lost faith in ‘assurances’ and ‘manifesto promises’ made by other political parties. Congress made a serious effort this time to put an end to the jumlabazi of tall leaders.

How did your party win the perception battle against the BJP?

The BJP had sunk deep into corruption and infighting. Our track record with the UPA government, which brought in changes through the Food Security Act and the Right To Education Act, also helped us convince the voters about the our pro-poor agenda. Moreover, the BJP’s track record of not fulfilling promises during their tenure forced the electorate to give us an unprecedented mandate of 135 seats this time.

How do you assess the journey so far of your government in the state?

In the last 60 days, we have kept the momentum going. Our leader, Sonia Gandhi’s inspiring vision of helping the poor, is one of the key factors for our Cabinet to sincerely work towards implementing the five guarantees from the very first cabinet meeting. Though the exasperated BJP has been making desperate attempts to bring disrepute to the state government, the people of Karnataka are happy with the way the Congress party and its leaders have conducted themselves so far. Fulfilling all promises is one of the key factors in our success.

Aren’t the five guarantees putting a strain on the state exchequer?

The five guarantees should be seen through a socio-economic prism and not a political prism. These schemes will uplift more than a crore families in the state. Each family is getting at least Rs 5,000 in additional income, which will surely help lift them out of poverty. This is our biggest achievement.

In the last 60 days of your government, some of your colleagues have already faced corruption charges.

Some vested interests are targeting some people. The way the allegations are being made and fake letters are being sent to the Governor’s office shows that they are trying to damage the image of the government. These allegations are baseless.

Do you mean to say that the Governor’s office is being misused by the Opposition?

I will not say so at this point in time. I only appeal to the Governor to be very careful and not get misled by the opposition and those with vested interests.

You hold the tourism portfolio as well. The general perception is that projects announced in the tourism department rarely take off.

True. All this while we were thinking about generating income alone, and it is not good. We are drafting a new tourism policy that will go beyond what the upper middle class perceives as ‘tourism.’ We will focus on promoting religious and student tourism. More than 1.25 crore devotees visit Saundatti Yellamma temple annually in Belagavi, and if we refuse to accept this, then it is wrong. There are several other temples, such as the Banashankari temple in Badami and Huligemma, to name a few. We need to harness the potential of these religious places. Our prime focus will be the common man. However, it does not mean that leisure, adventure, and ecotourism will be given less importance.

Can you elaborate on student tourism?

By visiting historical temples, for instance, the younger generation can learn about the glorious past of the Badami; they can learn about the Kalyani, Chalukyas, Hoysalas, and Rashtrakutas. We will harness the potential of the Shakti scheme, through which women and children are visiting more temples in the state.

What are your plans to make the legal system more public-friendly?

We have already begun the process by amending the Civil Procedure Code to dispose of cases involving economically weaker sections within six months. We followed it up by strengthening the provisions of the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prohibition of Transfer of Certain Lands), popularly known as the PTCL Act, to prevent the rich from taking away the land owned by these vulnerable sections. This time, I have turned my focus to evolving policy mechanisms for the speedy disposal of cases of crime against women. There are more than three lakh cases pending in the High Court, while in the district and subordinate courts, the number of cases is nearly 20 lakh. We have to find a solution for these women.