Q&A: I am not an outsider, people of Ballari have accepted me, says V S Ugrappa
Congress president Rahul Gandhi himself cleared the candidature of Congress MLC Mr V.S. Ugrappa, a dark horse whose selection came as a surprise, for the byelection to the Scheduled Tribe reserved Ballari Lok Sabha constituency. Mr Ugrappa's fate will be sealed in the November 3 bypoll. Mr Ugrappa pipped Ballari Rural MLA B Nagendra's brother B Venkatesh Prasad in what had narrowed down to a two-candidate race.There were political implications involved in the selection of the Congress candidate for the seat from which former party president Sonia Gandhi had contested in 1999. Mr Prasad reportedly had the support of minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, water resources minister D K Shivakumar's bete noire and to add to Ugrappa's problems, there was lack of consensus on the candidate among party MLAs in the district. This became evident when the MLAs failed to attend party meetings in Bengaluru ahead of the candidate selection. The party finally issued the MLAs an ultimatum to attend a meeting presided over by former chief minister Siddaramaiah who proposed Mr Ugrappa's name, reportedly to checkmate both Shivakumar and the Jarkiholi brothers, who are at loggerheads. A Karnataka High Court advocate by profession, Mr Ugrappa is from Pavagada in Tumakuru district and this could prove to be a major obstacle for him in the election as the BJP is projecting him as an outsider. The BJP has fielded Ballari's Valmiki strongman, party MLA B Sriramulu's sister and former Lok Sabha member Ms J Shantha.The by-poll was necessitated because of the resignation of Mr Sriramulu who contested and won from Molakalmur assembly constituency in the recent assembly elections.
Mr Ugrappa was one among the four 'manasa putras' of former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) supremo Mr H.D. Deve Gowda. Mr Ugrappa, Mr PGR Sindhia, Mr B.L. Shankar and Mr Y.S.V. Datta were considered the four four manasa putras of Deve Gowda during the heydays of the Janata Parivar. Now, Sindhia and Datta are with Deve Gowda. Mr Ugrappa was nominated to the Council first in 1995 by JD(S). He later joined the Congress and was nominated to the state Legislative Council in 2004 with his term ending in 2010. For the third time, he was nominated to the Council in June 2014; his term will last till 2020.
Mr Ugrappa had unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha poll from Chitradurga in 1989 and 1991 as a candidate of Mr Deve Gowda's Samajavadi Janata Party then.This bypoll is his third Lok Sabha election as a consensus candidate of the JD(S)-Congress coalition in the State. Here are excerpts from an interview with him.
After touring the constituency, how do you gauge the mood?
I’m sure of winning this election. There is no doubt about it. Voters have accepted me.
A section of Congressmen say that you have been made a scapegoat in this poll?
I’m certainly not. Indeed, former Lok Sabha member and BJP MLA B Sriramulu is the BJP's scapegoat.
How can you justify this ?
There are about 10 crore people belonging to the Valmiki community in the country. The BJP government did not make Sriramulu a Central minister and forced him to contest from Badami and Molakalmuru Assembnly seats only to ensure his defeat.
Is it Mr Sriramulu or Ms Shantha who is your rival in this by-poll?
A Supreme Court judge has observed that democracy in the country at present is in danger. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has surrendered to silence. The country is facing danger from the BJP and PM Modi. It's not a fight between individuals, but two ideologies- Communal BJP and Secular Congress and Janata Dal (Secular).
Then, on what ground are you targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party?
B.S. Yeddyurappa is the only chief minister who was jailed in the state's history. He had termed Sadananda Gowda and Jagadish Shetter as corrupt chief ministers and after he quit the BJP, he had termed the party most corrupt. There were three chief ministers during BJP rulee. All these people have now come together and declared Yeddyurappa as the chief ministerial candidate. People know that they are power hungry and are least bothered about the common man’s welfare.
Don't you think people will elect a candidate whose party is in power in Delhi?
Despite the Election Commission's directives, the Bharatiya Janata Party continues to issue false advertisements. Let them issue advertisements highlighting a chief minister and ministers who were jailed.
You claim that the 'Modi wave' will not work in this by-oll?
Now there is a Congress party wave in the state. Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former chief minister Yeddyurappa's efforts, the BJP will face defeat.
How do you react to the BJP's allegation that Ugrappa is not from Ballari, but an outsider?
Sriramulu is using the ‘outsider’ tag to gain political mileage and votes. People of Ballari have previously elected VKRV Rao and Basavarajeshwari. Bharatiya Janata Party’s Sushma Swaraj too contested here. Voters are intelligent and they will elect appropriate candidate irrespective of such attempts to misguide them.
Can the fight of the Congress party against illegal mining come to your support in this by-poll?
This struggle against illegal mining can become one among several reasons for my victory.
Are you sure that you will get the Congress ticket for Ballari in the 2019 general election too?
The party high command will decide on this.
