I’m not going soft on BJP, but on the B S Yediyurappa govt. There’s a difference: H D Kumaraswamy

Secularism and hindutva have been used national parties merely as a tool to secure power, says former CM

The future of the JD(S) hinges on the November 3 bypolls, former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has said. In a chat with DH’s Shruthi HM Sastry, Kumaraswamy gets candid on the way forward for the party, his souring relationship with Congress’ D K Shivakumar and his ties with the BJP. Excerpts:

Several of your party workers have jumped ship to Congress. You say this won’t dent the party’s prospects, but hasn’t it forced you to relook at your strategy ahead of the bypolls?

In Sira, it has always been a contest between Congress and JD(S). However, immaterial of the Congress’ subversive politics, voters will stand by us there as they trust us. This week, I will spend more time in the constituency. As for Rajarajeshwari Nagar, we have not seen electoral success there until now, but we have a significant support base. Our party cadre is strong there. Some party workers are jumping ship, but I’m not anxious about that. In the coming days, we’ll ready a team to strengthen ourselves from the grassroots up.

READ: HD Kumaraswamy warns against conducting elections during Covid-19 pandemic

We’ve taken some wrong decisions in the past, especially forming a coalition with the Congress. They’re trying to brainwash our cadre by telling them that they were ignored. In a way, my father’s insistence on always allying with secular forces became a weakness for us. We had an unpleasant experience with Congress, even in 2004, when we formed a government with them. They tried to weaken our party.

When you say that aligning with secular forces has become a “weakness”, is that an indication of a fundamental shift in the party’s ideology going forward?

No. I only mean to say that the country today does not need symbolism, either of Hindutva or of secularism. Both these ideologies have been used by the national parties merely as a tool to secure power. Today, we are competing with countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam, which are seeing more progress than us. What the country needs right now is development and protection of the life of every citizen. Regional parties will have to prepare themselves to offer an alternative to national parties by talking about issues that affect the lives and livelihood of people. That is what JD(S) will look at.

Recently, while Congress vociferously protested against amendments to the APMC Act and land reforms laws, you did not take an aggressive stand. Your meetings with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa also led to speculation that you are going soft on the BJP.

I would like to point out that I am not soft on the ruling party, but on the government. There’s a difference. The election is more than two years away, and I am under no illusion that the government will fall before that. There is nothing I will achieve by going aggressive. I am just trying to work with the government to the extent of ensuring development in the constituencies represented by our party. People are looking towards us to resolve their ground-level problems. On the amendments, while the Congress protested, they were exposed by Revenue Minister R Ashoka on the floor of the House as to how they themselves explored (the amendments) during Siddaramaiah’s regime. It just showed their double standards. That said, I also have been pointing out loopholes in government decisions as and when the need arises.

You and D K Shivakumar portrayed yourselves as “jodetthu” (oxen yoked together). Of late, though, your relationship seems to have soured. What happened?

It is true that we projected ourselves as “jodetthu”. Politics and camaraderie are two different things. All the goodwill that I gained over more than a decade suffered a blow because of the coalition with Congress in 2018. Even though the Congress pinned the blame on JD(S), the government began crumbling because of differences between Shivakumar and Ramesh Jarkiholi, which they never tried to resolve. They were also strategising to scuttle my support base from day one, while offering lip sympathy of support. We were caught in their 'chakravyuha'.

READ: Attracting votes from other parties just election time politics: D K Shivakumar

But your rivalry is now largely seen as two Vokkaliga leaders fighting to retain control over the community.

Such a question doesn’t arise at all. Be it my father Deve Gowda or me, we have embraced everyone. Our interest is only in representing the vulnerable sections of society. I feel that somehow this message has not gone across even to leaders from other communities whom the party nurtured and helped grow.

Siddaramaiah has mocked you for being emotional.

They rake up issues with JD(S) time and again. I have, several times, requested them not to provoke me, and to allow me to do my work independently. There is no need for Siddaramaiah, who has represented different parties in his career, to comment about JD(S). I only retaliate when the party is targeted by him. Otherwise, I personally have nothing against Siddaramaiah.

In all this, is there a core area of strength for the party that you can identify?

Our party continues to be a voice of the marginalised. Even though a significant part of our support base are farmers, it is not limited to them. On the surface, it might appear that Kumaraswamy has lost interest, but I am keenly observing all political and social developments. Our party is working towards restructuring to become more youth-oriented.

There was a plan to bring political strategist Prashant Kishore on board. What happened to it?

We were advised to wait. We have resources amongst us to work out strategies. We are also looking at reorganising our strategies in a cost-effective manner. In general, due to the pandemic, a lot of our plans have slowed down. There’s still time for elections. So, we have time to work things out.