The Hindu : Karnataka News : It has been a hard climb up the ladder

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 02, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

It has been a hard climb up the ladder

Rishikesh Bahadur Desai

`He does not lie. He promises to help us only if he can. Otherwise, he expresses his helplessness without mincing words.'

Humble abode: The house where Mallikarjun Kharge was born.

BIDAR: Mallanna Mapanna Kharabade was hardly five when his mother Sabavva died of cholera.

His father, an illiterate farm labourer, ran away along with his son from Warawatti (B) in Bhalki taluk, in 1947 to avoid torture by the advancing army of the Nizam and persecution from upper caste Hindus in the village. Mapanna worked as a labourer in MSK Mill in Gulbarga and married again. Lakshmibai brought up the boy as her own son.

The couple did their best to give education to the boy.

The bright boy went on to complete his university degree and become a lawyer.

The young Dalit leader caught the attention of then Chief Minister, D. Devaraj Urs, who fielded him in the 1972 Assembly elections.

On the advice of Urs, the new Congress entrant changed his name while filing his nomination papers. Mallikarjun M. Kharge won that election from Gurmitkal and has never been defeated.

"He does not lie. He promises to help us only if he can. Otherwise, he expresses his helplessness without mincing words. His straightforward nature has made many people dislike him," says Manik Balavale, Mr. Kharge's relative who gave a media team information about the Water Resource Minister's early life at his place of birth.

On Saturday, Warawatti (B) was all decked up to welcome its illustrious son. Every one seemed to be excited to receive him after a gap of 13 years.

They painted the Buddha Vihara at the village entrance, erected a large pandal in the village high school, and organised lunch for the over 10,000 people.

They brought the Minister in a procession.

Mr. Kharge made a moving speech. He thanked B.R. Ambedkar for having brought self-respect to millions of people like him.

Mr. Kharge, who was close to becoming the Chief Minister twice, seems to be a contented man.

"I am happy with what life has given me and what I have done for the people. There might have been obstacles in my attempt to rise in politics and public life, but honesty and efficiency have seen me through," he said.

Reacting to the view that he never smiles and always looks angry, Mr. Kharge said: "My face is like that. It's not deliberate. If anybody else has gone through what I have in my life, he will look more angry," he said.

The Minister asked the villagers to make united efforts to develop the village.

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