Karnataka   

Dharam Singh renews promise to serve Jewargi

ALWAYS A FAVOURITE: N. Dharam Singh, former Chief Minister, meets voters at Chigaralli village in Jewargi Assembly constituency in Gulbarga district during his door-to-door campaign.

YALWAR VILLAGE (JEWARGI TALUK): The former Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, stepped out of his house in Gulbarga city dressed in an immaculate white khadi khurta and pyjama and got into a van signalling the beginning of a 10-hour energy-sapping campaign trail in the Jewargi Assembly constituency recently.

“I have now changed my style of campaigning to suit the tough election code of conduct,” Mr. Dharam Singh said and added, “I do not address any public meeting, it is only street corner meetings using a portable public address system fitted in my vehicle.”

Despite having trouble in walking due to a minor fracture he suffered in his leg a few months ago, Mr. Dharam Singh covered the narrow lanes of the villages in the constituency by foot even while exchanging pleasantries with people by shaking hands.

Gone are the days when elections used to be a pomp affair with banners, large cut-outs, festoons and party flags going on display. This time, campaigning has been devoid of the usual colour and pomp as the number of banners, cut-outs and the like to be used by the political parties has been restricted by the Election Commission.

Talking to The Hindu during his campaign trail beginning from Chigralli village where he addressed villagers within the compound wall of his supporter Mashaq Pasha Jagirdar’s house, as organising public meeting in a public place is banned, Mr. Dharam Singh said that he was confident of winning from the Jewargi constituency more convincingly this time due to various factors.

As the vehicle moved into a narrow lane in Yalwar village to reach a meeting place opposite a temple in the centre of the village, an old woman, Aiyyavva Patil, waved at Mr. Dharam Singh to stop to express gratitude on behalf of her grandson Rontappa Patil, who was blind before he was taken to Bangalore by Ajay Singh, Mr. Dharam Singh’s son, for treatment.

Dr. Ajay Singh’s social activities appear to be doing a world of good for Mr. Dharam Singh this time.

Wherever Mr. Dharam Singh’s vehicle stopped, there were at least four or five persons who came to thank him for medical treatment they received in hospitals in Bangalore with the help of Dr. Ajay Singh.

Mr. Dharam Singh, in his speech, briefly mentioned about the achievements during his long political innings and thanked the voters for having reposed faith in him for the past eight terms.

He promised not to fail them in future also.

Mr. Dharam Singh, however, did not hide his displeasure over the steps taken by the election authorities to implement the code of conduct.

“I do not think N. Gopalaswami, Chief Election Commissioner, or the District Election Officer, Pankajkumar Pandey, were born in London.

“They too, like everybody else here, were born in India and they are aware of Indian ethos and culture,” Mr. Dharam Singh said and added that one of the important features of Indian culture was offering hospitality to guests.

“I feel sorry for not offering even a cup of tea or a plate of ‘susla’ (a preparation made using puffed rice) to you as that will also amount to violation of code of conduct,” he said.

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