Contesting in a high-stakes battle from a constituency, Bengaluru North, which is one of the fastest growing and with the highest number of voters in Karnataka, M.V. Rajeev Gowda is pitted against the BJP’s Shobha Karandlaje. Mr. Gowda, who has been the AICC national spokesperson and was one of the contenders for the Bengaluru North constituency for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the Congress from Karnataka in 2014.
Midway through hectic campaigning in his first direct elections, he stopped over for a chat at The Hindu office to talk about the Congress’ chances at breaking the Bengaluru jinx, his plans for the city if elected, and whether the “Modi factor” exists this time. Excerpts:
Since 1999, the Congress hasn’t been able to win a Lok Sabha seat in Bengaluru. Why do you think that is and what is going to change this time?
The BJP has picked up in Karnataka, but in the last Assembly elections, the anger against the BJP’s non-performance, their misdirected priorities and 40% commission was evident and people have not forgotten their misgovernance and their attempts to divide our otherwise peaceful State. So they were ejected from power forcefully in 2023, and we are going to see the same thing happen now.
There are 25 BJP MPs, and not one of them raises their voice in support of Karnataka’s concerns and legitimate, justifiable demands. People of Karnataka are now very convinced that when it comes to delivering on promises, the only answer is the Congress. That’s why you’re going to see a huge wave in favour of the Congress this time, whatever the past history may be for Bengaluru or Karnataka.
Is there any specific strategy in fielding new faces in Bengaluru, specifically?
We are projecting ourselves as “Team Bengaluru.” Sowmya (Reddy) is an activist and an effective ex-MLA. You have Mansoor Ali Khan, who is an educationist. I’ve been a professor and an MP, and D.K. Suresh is one of the most effective MPs that if you can ask for. We’re basically projecting “Team Bengaluru” and saying our city needs representatives who can bring in resources from the Centre. This is one of the most productive cities in the world and we need to make sure that our people can be productive and can have a good quality of life.
I want to make sure that development happens in a more planned manner; that the planning paradigm changes from urban sprawl to something more like “15-minute cities”; that we pay attention to green and blue - to our nature, to our water resources; that we eliminate issues of concern like water crisis, air pollution by changing the way we live, changes to the way we travel, etc. For that to happen, first we need to make sure that all the little pain points are eliminated.
The only time people think about government is when they have a problem. We want to create that kind of a situation where everything that you would expect the government to give you, would have given to you in such a manner that you can proceed to enjoy yourself and have a good time with your family.
Staying with that thought, do you think Congress’s victory in the 2023 State Assembly elections will actually move the winds in favour of the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka?
Absolutely. One of our major achievements is the implementation of our five guarantees. Initially, the Prime Minister called them freebies, and now he’s saying he will offer his own guarantees. In those 10 years of Modi sarkar, people are suffering from price rise . Similarly, there’s been tremendous amount of unemployment. So in these circumstances, we needed to step up and do something to take care of our people. So that’s why we brought in the five kgs of rice per person, the Gruha Lakshmi, free bus travel, free electricity and subsidy for unemployed graduates and diploma holders. We may be the fastest growing economy, but there is tremendous inequality. Not all of us have benefited from the growth opportunities. We put in place this safety net, and as a result, whenever I go on the ground, there’s just so much affection and gratitude. We’ve addressed their pain and we’ve delivered on our promises, while they have not given anything more than slogans.
Coming to the constituency that you’re contesting from, it has the highest number of voters in Karnataka. It has also seen unprecedented growth. What are your priorities if elected as an MP?
Bengaluru North is where the action is. This is the new Bengaluru and so it’s important for us to develop these regions in a manner that is sustainable, inclusive, and something that nurtures prosperity and creativity and overall health and happiness.
One of the things that I would like to do is put in place a different planning paradigm. When it comes to transport, traffic is a huge challenge. Hebbal flyover, our gateway into Bengaluru, is choked. We need to find ways to add more lanes there, etc, but I would go much further. I’ve been agitating for suburban rail since 2008. You have the metro line coming in from Nagawara and we have a big bus bus depot there. We need to turn that into a multimodal transit hub - start thinking 30 years down the road rather than trying to do bandaid repairs. I think the days are not far off when more people will take public transport.
The developed planned, transport approach, and environment approach - these interventions will make life in North Bengaluru better.
You are pitted against the BJP’s Shobha Karandlaje. Ms. Karandlaje has faced opposition from within her party for her nomination for this seat. Will that affect her chances in the elections?
Shobha akka... we were in Parliament together. She seems to have got a lot of opposition from within the party in Bengaluru North. She had even more opposition in Udupi-Chikkamagaluru. So this sort of thing is not very helpful to generate momentum for victory. But beyond that, people say she’s a tough street fighter and you’re the academic. The fact of the matter is, you can be a street fighter but for what causes - for trying to rake up communal tension, trying to divide people and light flames and basically polarize. That’s not what the people of Bengaluru or India want. She has a ₹44 crore money laundering case against her filed by the Enforcement Directorate. She’s a Minister in the Modi government fighting her own government in court.
This is a person who was chased out of her old seat after 10 years. This is a person who has these grave corruption charges against her. Her track record is of trying to incite communal tension. Do we need that sort of person for Bengaluru? In contrast, the Congress seems to have given a candidate with a vision, a track record, ability to unite and heal and to take everyone along in a much more inclusive, positive way. People are happy that that there’s a contrast.
Some of your supporters call you “Karnataka’s Shashi Tharoor.” How does that impact your image?
I really don’t know what that means. If it means that this is a person who can win Lok Sabha elections, I’m happy to have that title. Shashi is an extraordinarily productive and hardworking guy - writes a book a year, is giving a 1,000 speeches a year, he seems to charm everybody. I don’t think I have that kind of effect at all.
We have some similarities in our backgrounds. We’ve grown up here, gone abroad to study. We are very much at home in global circles. I don’t know about him, but I’m just a local boy. I grew up playing cricket in the fields of Malleswaram. When I when I finished my high school, the first thing we did was go to typewriter class. Some people say you guys are elite...
That is generally the accusation against the Congress, that many candidates come from places of privilege and there is a disconnect between what’s on the ground...
I had a very middle-class life growing up. Whatever privilege comes is from the institutions that I have been associated with. Now, people are proud of me for being one of them - a simple mannina maga, a simple, local boy who has made good, and who has no airs about himself. I can engage with the best in the world. I can represent the best of what Karnataka and Bengaluru have to offer.
If elected as an MP, what issues would you take up first?
It is “when” elected. The Central government has been very unjust and unfair to Karnataka. They have not given us the Finance Commission’s recommendations, they haven’t given us drought relief funds. We we need more of our tax revenues to come back to us because this is one of the most productive cities.
We’re going to come to office in Delhi, but whether it’s my government or if I’m in Opposition, I will continue this fight for Karnataka’s interests. Second, we will fight to raise more resources and special grants for Bengaluru city. And then of course, the last thing is, I will also be working on national issues.
Finally, do you think the “Modi effect” still exists?
If you spot it, let me know. What you see actually is the opposite. People are disappointed. No one wants to say it openly because everyone actually is in fear. That’s the atmosphere that’s been created in this country where if you criticise Modi, you are termed anti-national. But people do see that that the delivery has not matched the rhetoric. When he talks about 370-400 seats, it really is betraying nervousness, because they’re not even going to get 200 seats. They are going to lose in many States, starting with Karnataka. I don’t think there’s any Modi effect. If anything, it is anti incumbency after 10 years.
