Congress has nothing to offer to voters: BJP minister Somanna

The BJP handpicked housing and infrastructure & development minister V Somanna to contest against Congress candidate and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah

The BJP handpicked housing and infrastructure & development minister V Somanna to contest against Congress candidate and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah in the electoral battle for the Varuna seat on May 10. The BJP is aware the task is not easy and has allowed Somanna to also fight from Chamarajanagar.

Siddaramaiah has said this will be his final election battle. He is 75. Somanna, 73, has no intention of retiring from politics and is yet to position his son Arun Somanna in politics.

Somanna, a five-term MLA, started his career in Bengaluru as a corporator. He was with the Janata Dal and Congress and joined the BJP in 2010. Since then, he has been a minister when the BJP was in power. He is now in charge of Chamarajanagar district.

For him, winning elections in Bengaluru has been as easy as breathing. This time, though, it is not so. He has entered new terrain – Varuna, the fiefdom of Siddaramaiah, and Chamarajanagar, which has been the stronghold of C Puttarangashetty, the sitting Congress MLA.

Both constituencies are dominated by the Lingayat caste, to which Somanna belongs. The highly politically ambitious Somanna was a close associate of late Union minister HN Ananth Kumar.

Somanna, as a seasoned politician, can easily fit into any party. There was intense speculation that he would quit the BJP to join the Congress if both he and his son were not given tickets to fight the elections this time. However, Somanna strongly denied this.

As long as he contested from Govindarajnagar in Bengaluru city, his caste was immaterial. But in Varuna and Chamarajanagar, he is playing the Lingayat caste card. He is known to have a good network among Lingayat mutts, an influencing factor in Karnataka elections. But fighting Kuruba mass leader Siddaramaiah is indeed a tough challenge, even for firebrand Somanna.

Somanna spoke to Moneycontrol on a range of matters – how the BJP is doing across the state, what factors are working in favour of the BJP, and whether he will emerge as a giant killer. Edited excerpts:

As a senior BJP leader well-versed in electioneering, tell us where the BJP stands on the Karnataka election map.

The BJP is doing well. It might not have been looking very bright some weeks ago. But now it is comfortable. People have no choice but to support the BJP. What is the alternative to the BJP? Opposition has nothing to offer voters.

You sound so confident. How many seats would the BJP then win?

All I can say is that the BJP would be in the No. 1 position in terms of seats. We will form the government. Still, there is a week’s time for campaigning.

The Congress has equated the ruling BJP with corruption. Why has chief minister Basavaraj Bommai not effectively countered these charges?

The Congress has been continuously harping on corruption. But why has it not gone beyond that? Which corruption case has been exposed by Congress with evidence? People won’t believe such hollow charges.

The state BJP is heavily dependent on central leaders for campaigning. Doesn’t this reflect poorly on the state leadership?

What is wrong with showcasing central leaders? Aren’t they performers? The BJP should be taken as one unit. If the opposition has problems with the Prime Minister's campaigning, it is their problem. Even state leaders are extensively campaigning despite being candidates. Let me ask a question to Congress: For how many years did they market Indira Gandhi's face during the elections?

What’s likely to work for the BJP? Isn’t anti-incumbency a factor?

Only Congress talks about anti-incumbency. Let them go to constituencies such as Govindarajnagar and see the definition of development. It is wrong to generalise. What development are we seeing in Varuna, a constituency represented by former chief minister Siddaramaiah? Half-done roads and dry irrigation canals. It is pathetic. So people who talk about anti-incumbency should first look at their constituencies.

Your caste leaders, Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi, quit the BJP to become Congress candidates. How do you view this development?

It was a blunder they committed. It was unwarranted. I sympathise with their present plight. For TRPs’ sake, Congress has done this. When BS Yediyurappa wanted to quit the BJP and float the KJP. I suggested he not leave a national party. The BJP takes care of its leaders.

The BJP has thrown a big challenge at you. Did you want to contest two seats? You have been portrayed by the Congress as a sacrificial goat. You had differences with BS Yediyurappa and his son, BY Vijayendra. Are they campaigning for you?

I never wanted to contest this time. All I wanted was a ticket for my son, Arun. The Prime Minister and [Amit] Shah told me to leave the responsibility of shaping my son’s future to them. The party felt I was capable of making it proud. Amit Shah visited my house and sat with us for two hours. He might have studied my capacity as a people’s representative over the last 45 years. Yes, I have the support of Yediyurappa.

The Congress is finding the going tough and whipping up emotions based on caste and retirement politics being played by Siddaramaiah. Many years ago, I expressed my intention of being an active politician in the Mysuru region, in particular, Chamarajangar. That must have been the reason for the party to field me from Chamarajanagar. In the case of Varuna, it is entirely the decision of the high command. The BJP has taken a historic decision by asking me to contest from Varuna.

If anyone has done injustice to Veerashaiva Lingayats, then it is Congress. Karnataka is a witness to how tall Lingayat leaders such as S Nijalingappa, Veerendra Patil and Rajashekara Murthy were humiliated by the Congress.

Since the formation of the Varuna constituency in 2008, twice Siddaramaiah and once his son Yathindra have won here. What magic can work this time for the BJP?

This time it is Somanna, and that makes a difference. All these years, Siddaramaiah Sahebaru has used his caste tag, pocketed his community, and won. How long would this continue? When will the development of the constituency be an issue? My party and I are seriously working here. And, people are looking for a change in leadership because they want to see their lives improve.

Varuna is not a backward region. There is no lack of basic amenities.

Varuna is in a deplorable condition. Just cemented roads don’t make a constituency. Even the roads are half-done. Varuna is carved out of three taluks - Mysuru, T Narasimpura, and Nanjungud. On record, Varuna is a taluk, but there is not a single umbrella under which the people of the constituency can get their work done. How come Siddaramaiah, who claims to be a tall leader, has ignored his constituency? Let him visit Ramanagara and Shikaripura, among other constituencies that have been represented by former chief ministers, and see the extent of the development work done. Should not a chief minister be proud of his constituency and develop it into a model one?

Siddaramaiah hasn’t camped in his constituency and mingled with the locals. He has the backing of 30,000 Kuruba and 6,000 Muslim votes, and he thinks he can play caste politics to win. I want to recreate another Govindarajnagar in Varuna. I am not seeking votes on a caste basis. Even in Chamarajanagar, I am not playing up my caste. Of the total 2.26 lakh voters, there could be at least 1.2 lakh other than Kurubas and Muslims. It is said there are at least 58,000 Lingayats. Still, I am confident of getting the support of all communities.

You faced the wrath of Siddaramaiah’s followers during the campaign. What are the minuses for you? You have been projected as an outsider, whereas Siddaramaiah is a native of Siddaramanahundi, a hamlet in Varuna.

Only a couple of them posed hurdles for my campaign. I never expected this sort of politics from Siddaramaiah, who has enjoyed the status of chief minister. I had worked for his victory in the Chamundeshwari bye-elections despite severe resistance from my community. I still address him as Siddaramaiah Sahebaru. As a candidate, I have to be allowed to campaign. I can also do tricks like Siddaramaiah. He thinks he is the only intelligent person.

I know only about the pluses (my strengths). Siddaramaiah has no right to brand me as an outsider. He himself contested from Badami, Koppal and Chamundeshwari.

Will you be on the list of giant killers on May 13, results day? Will you be the next Lingayat face of the BJP?

I am going to win – that is all I can say. I am not going to retire from politics and I am ambitious.

You have fought many elections. What changes are you seeing in the present elections?

Not many differences. People have remained the same. It is we who corrupt them. All people ask us for basic amenities to make their lives liveable.