DH Interview | 'Doubts on our secular credentials a big challenge': Y S V Datta

Bengaluru: Yagati Suryanarayana Venkatesha (Y S V) Datta, two-time lawmaker and a longtime JD(S) loyalist, has been appointed as the regional party’s campaign committee president. Datta, a teacher-turned-politician, talks to Rashmi Belur of DH about the party’s silver jubilee and its future. Excerpts: 

Do you agree that it is rare for a regional party to complete 25 years with national parties becoming dominant in Karnataka?

It’s not easy. In my 50 years of political life, no regional party has survived this long. Karnataka has seen many regional parties, including those formed by former chief minister Devaraj Urs and the incumbent Siddaramaiah. Till 1977, only the Socialist Party was the opposition to Congress in Karnataka. In 1999, after division of the Janata Dal, JD(S) emerged as a strong regional party. We’re alive and sustaining.

What, according to you, keeps JD(S) going?

Legacy. Of being the inheritor of the Janata Parivar. As far as Karnataka is concerned, Janata Parivar gave the best, people friendly governance. People still recall governments of Ramakrishna Hegde, S R Bommai and H D Deve Gowda as the best. We lost power because of infighting. But people of the state haven’t rejected us. Although it was a coalition setup in which H D Kumaraswamy came to power, people still say it was a good government. 

What’s the biggest challenge JD(S) faces even to this day?

One of the biggest challenges is that there are doubts about our secular credentials. We’re very clear that we’re bound to secularism and social justice. It’s not important who we are with (in alliance); we’re bound to our ideologies and we need to make people realize this. This is why we have decided to try Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s model. No one can question his secular credentials. People have forgotten our pro-backward class and pro-minority works. 

The JD(S) is still criticised for joining hands with ‘communal’ BJP.

We can’t be communal just because we’ve joined hands with a party. None can call our national president (Deve Gowda) and state president (Kumaraswamy) communal. They are just like Nitish Kumar. Even today, Deve Gowda is the most secular leader who is committed to his principles.

You briefly quit JD(S) to join Congress. What brought you back?

I am 72 now. I started working with Deve Gowda when I was 20 year old. My relationship with him is emotional, with a fatherly attachment. But during previous elections, because of pressure from my constituents, I had to compromise on my ideology and party loyalty to join Congress. When I did not get a ticket to contest elections in Congress, people again forced me to contest independently. But Gowda convinced me to return to the party. I couldn’t go against his fatherly love and emotion.

The BJP-JD(S) alliance worked well in Lok Sabha polls. Will the same chemistry work on the ground in the next Assembly elections?

Definitely, it’ll work in the Assembly and other polls, too. We may face issues while deciding on seats. We need to follow a give-and-take policy. Being stubborn won’t be helpful for any of us. Our ultimate aim is to come to power in 2028. 

As the head of the campaign committee, how will you manage the damage caused by former MP Prajwal Revanna, a rape convict?

The matter is in court. The court will decide if he is guilty or not. Moreover, it was a case against an individual. It is in no way related to the party’s activities.

Senior leaders like G T Devegowda are keeping away from the party. 

It’s not that G T Devegowda has quit, but he’s quiet. My only aim is to bring everyone who has quit back to the party fold. I have confidence that I’ll bring all of them back to the party and convince GTD to involve himself seriously in party work.

Can Kumaraswamy concentrate on the party while being a union minister? 

Definitely. Kumaraswamy has a mass following. After Deve Gowda, it is Kumaraswamy who has a mass image. For our party, influence and image are more important.