He knows quite well that he has a tough task ahead of him but as a sixth term lawmaker, he understands the pulse of the people. Newly-elected state JD(S) President H.K. Kumaraswamy told Deccan Chronicle that action to revive his party is not only inevitable but the need of the hour to give a tough fight to both the Congress and BJP. Here are excerpts from an interview.
What was your initial response after you were named party chief of the Karnataka unit?
I was elated but also know that a great responsibility has been given to me. I am confident that I will be able to deliver results to the expectations of our party leaders.
You are aware that the JD(S) fared very badly in the 2018 assembly polls with just 37 seats. Your party won just one seat in the recent Lok Sabha polls. Don't you think that you have bigger challenges ahead of you?
You are very right. We didn't perform well in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. This has affected the morale of our party workers across the state. Firstly, we need to find out what exactly went wrong in two consecutive polls and correct those mistakes. A party organisation is not stagnant, it is like flowing water. We need to keep the past aside and think about the future. I will try to win the confidence of every worker.
You have not held any important post except serving as district president of the Sakleshpur JDS unit for a long time. Will it not be difficult for you to manage the entire state unit?
I have been elected to the state assembly for a sixth consecutive time and had worked as district party president. I am working with JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda for the last 35 years and have understood his style of working.
Your party is called a party restricted to Mandya, Hassan and Ramanagara. How can you make your party acceptable in North Karnataka and Hyderabad Karnataka regions?
This is the popular perception. The Janata Dal (Secular) is quite strong in three to four districts in South Karnataka though we need to make inroads into North Karnataka. To achieve this, we need to sensitize our party workers at the grassroot level and take their help to strengthen our party in all districts. More than anything else, we need to introspect on why our party is struggling in the state.
Why did your party fare very badly in the 2018 assembly and 2019 Lok Sabha polls?
I feel people do not have enough confidence in our party. There are no other reasons why the JD(S) could win only one Lok Sabha seat of the total 28. We have to understand the mindset of people in districts other than Mandya, Hassan and Ramanagara, to make a comeback in the coming elections. We need to take people of all castes and classes into confidence by giving them important posts in the party. The situation in South Karnataka is different from that in North Karnataka and so is the caste combination.
The popular perception is that any state JDS President will be a rubber stamp as decision making powers lie with Mr Deve Gowda and Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. Can you take decisions independently?
(Laughs). This is a common observation about our party and I also know that they used to call JD(S), the ‘Appa Makkala Party.’ I don’t think I will face such problems because of my working experience with both Mr Deve Gowda and Mr Kumaraswamy. Since Mr Gowda is our party’s national president having six decades of experience in both state and national politics, I require his guidance to take the party forward. I will definitely take their suggestions before implementing them.
Your predecessor A.H. Vishwanath quit the party president post as he and KPCC President Dinesh Gundurao were not accommodated in the coordination committee of the coalition government. What is your view?
I feel there was no fault in Mr Vishwanath demanding a place in the coordination panel. It's better to have the presidents of the coalition partners in the panel headed by former chief minister and Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah. I will discuss this with our party supremo.
Is revamping of your party on the cards?
We are seriously considering revamping the party organisation to keep it ready for the elections. I am not saying the state will witness mid-term polls as no legislator is ready for another election within a span of one year. We are holding a padayatra from next month to strengthen our party and to boost the morale of our workers. This will be followed by district level rallies and a membership drive. The coming months will be dedicated to building the party.
