Karnataka is not new to All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is in charge of the state unit of the party. In 2018, Surjewala, who also heads the AICC communications department, moved base to Karnataka to plan and strategise for the Assembly elections. A troubleshooter and crisis manager for the Congress high command, Surjewala in an interview said that the feedback he has got from state unit leaders is that a united leadership can champion the cause of the people and oust the BJP government.
Here are excerpts from the interview.
In your first interaction with Congress members as in-charge of Karnataka, what was the feedback from them?
The feedback was that there is rampant corruption, paralysis of governance and maladministration in Karnataka. There is neither any political direction nor any cohesive plan by the BJP government here to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The numbers are telling their own story and Karnataka now contributes to almost 10% of deaths by coronavirus in India.There is no plan for economic revival of Karnataka or Bengaluru. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s pledge is to latch on to power at any cost and at all cost. His only concern is staying in power and this lust for power has become detrimental to the progress of Karnataka.
The feedback I have got from the Congress unit in Karnataka is that a united leadership will be able to champion the cause of people and voice their agony.
What are the major concerns of the people in Karnataka?
There is a dual attack on farmers in Karnataka — one from the state and the other from the Union government regarding the anti-agrarian reforms passed by the Parliament and the land reforms by the Karnataka Assembly, in order to help a selective group of crony builders There are three levels of corruption — corruption in pandemic in the purchase of PPE kits and ventilators, corruption through land reforms by a set of crony builders and allegations of corruption against Yediyurappa's son, son-in-law and grandson.
How important are the upcoming bye-elections in Sira, RR Nagar and others for the Congress, as these will be the first for DK Shivakumar as KPCC president
Every election is important, no poll is big or small. The Congress treats the smallest of elections like the panchayats as important as the Parliament’s.
What is the criteria for the selection of candidates for upcoming bye-polls?
Criteria is commitment to the party's ideology and to the cause of the people, besides winnability. The commitment of candidates to continue in the party in the future and toil for the people is a factor that will be considered now.
Has the Congress started preparations for the Assembly elections in Karnataka?
No. For us, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Legislative Council and the panchayat polls are important. We are going to prepare for these grassroot bodies as they are imperative for them to throw up newer leadership. The same people may grow to become members of the Legislature and Parliament. We will be concentrating on these elections for now.
What are the lessons the Congress has learnt from Karnataka and Rajasthan where loyalists landed the party in trouble?
There is a vast distinction between Karnataka and Rajasthan. In Rajasthan there was a difference of opinion that led to some consternation inside the party. In Karnataka, it was lust for power and the persons who defected sold their souls to the highest bidder. Consequently, Yediyurappa and the BJP fund managers spoiled the political culture of a state like Karnataka by indulging in mass defections to manufacture a majority where none existed. Yediyurappa's government has no public mandate but one manufactured in the factory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
But with old-timers and loyalists defecting or rebelling, is this a pointer to those at the helm losing grip over the party?
No, Why? The Congress has always been a party with a lot of mature, experienced, senior leaders and a bubbling set of younger people with ideas. That's how the Congress has evolved again and again. The party is open to new ideas and fresh talent while respecting maturity and experience. Regarding the memorandum submitted by some leaders questioning the leadership, the issue is over and there is nothing more to comment.
The KPCC president has mooted for a cadre-based party, do you endorse his views?
The Congress, from the days of Mahatma Gandhi, has been a party of mass movement, founded upon culture and ideology. However, it is imperative that the cadre of the party supports that mass movement and that is why we should have a movement completely identifiable with the cadre group through the organisational network from bottom up.
A common concern of the rank and file in Karnataka is that AICC general secretaries appointed are engaged in other responsibilities and their visits to the state are limited to meeting the top leaders only
My predecessor, KC Venugopal, rose as a worker from the ranks of the party. He was in the NSUI, Youth Congress, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, state and Union minister and now in the AICC. I am also a worker who has risen from the rank. Obviously we try to meet everyone humanly possible at the grassroots level. I will be back in Karnataka on October 10 for a farmers convention in Davanagere, and later for an anti-corruption day besides a signature campaign from farmers against the farm laws. I am going to travel across the state and meet all the party workers.