The Hindu : Bangarappa yearns to return to State politics

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 23, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Bangarappa yearns to return to State politics

By Pramod Mellegatti

SHIMOGA, FEB. 22. The former Chief Minister, S. Bangarappa, who represented Shimoga in the just dissolved Lok Sabha, has expressed his wish to seek election to the Legislative Assembly.

The desire stems from a sense of disappointment that he could not serve the people as an MP in the manner he had wished to.

"It has become inevitable for me to return to State politics as I have begun to feel that as an MP I could not do much for the people of the State. I feel disappointed over my performance as a Lok Sabha member for two terms," he said in an exclusive interview to The Hindu at his native village of Kubatoor in Sorab taluk.

Mr. Bangarappa said it was only his strong desire to serve the people by being in their midst that had prompted him to think of seeking election to the Assembly.

The former Chief Minister said he had discussed the issue with the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, who, he claimed, was not averse to the idea.

"Everybody knows my track record in espousing the cause of the common people," he said.

Mr. Bangarappa said he would again meet Ms. Gandhi and speak to her about his wish to run for the Assembly elections.

The former Chief Minister said the party had discussed the suggestion of senior leaders being sent back to the State to streamline the party.

"In view of this new approach of Ms. Gandhi I feel I can strengthen the party by returning to State politics," he said.

Mr. Bangarappa, however, said he had not yet decided from where to contest the Assembly elections in Shimoga district although most of the taluk units of the party had resolved to request the leadership to allow him to contest from their area.

Mr. Bangarappa said he would take a decision after consulting friends, colleagues, and party workers.

Mr. Bangarappa created a record of sorts by representing the Sorab Assembly constituency from 1967 to 1994 without a break.

The former Chief Minister replied in the negative when asked whether a candidate had been finalised in his place for the Shimoga Lok Sabha seat.

Pointing out that a coalition system of governance appeared to have become inevitable in the absence of effective leadership, Mr. Bangarappa said in the era of coalition governance personality-based politics seemed to have overshadowed issue-based politics.

He said if political stability was possible during the Congress regime under Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi it was largely because of their effective leadership.

To a question he said that though the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was not as strong as Nehru or Indira Gandhi, he had handled the task given to him tactfully.

As the result, he said some of the contentious issues had remained unresolved.

The former Chief Minister said: "The present-day politics largely hinges on uncertainty which is not good for the country. But it appears that in the absence of a stable leadership the coalition system has become inevitable."

Mr. Bangarappa felt that Ms. Gandhi should take the initiative to have pre-poll alliances with like-minded parties if the Congress had to emerge strong enough to form the government at the Centre.

To a question whether Ms. Gandhi would be projected as the prime ministerial candidate, Mr. Bangarappa said it was certain that the party would fight the elections under her leadership.

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