INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK
BJP - JD(S) alliance is cool, and it's here to stay
-B.S. Yediyurappa Deputy Chief Minister, Karnataka
A confident and jubilant senior BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa is the Deputy Chief Minister in the newly-formed BJP-JD(S) alliance government in Karnataka. The dynamic leader foresees developing more Bangalores in the north and south of the state with quality infrastructure. As Finance Minister of the state, he has promised to solve the farmers' problems keeping in mind the development of the SCs, STs and weaker sections of the society. During his recent visit to Delhi, Shri Yediyurappa in an exclusive interview to Organiser Correspondent Deepak Kumar Rath said there would be a heavy flow of funds in the state in the next Financial Year and the government has plans to check corruption in the system. Excerpts:
Ananth Kumar, myself and other senior party leaders have discussed everything from the beginning and accordingly we have taken decision.
How is your alliance with the JD(S) working?
Our alliance with the JD(S) is working very smoothly and we are sure that our government would last the next 40 months. For the first 20 months, the JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswami will be the Chief Minister. In the following 20 months, according to our agreement, I would be the Chief Minister and the JD(S) leader would be the Deputy Chief Minister. There is absolutely no hurdle in the alliance. In future also the BJP-JD(S) alliance would continue to strive for the greater interest of Karnataka.
Do you think that the suspension of the JD(S) MLAs by Deve Gowda would have any impact on the coalition?
I don´t think so. I don´t know exactly what relation is there between Deve Gowda and Kumaraswami as a son and a father. But there would not be any problem for the government.
There are reports that Kumaraswami does not want to openly associate himself with the top leaders of the BJP in Delhi.
No, it is not correct. Our Chief Minister has talked to Atalji, Advaniji and Rajnath Singhji over the phone and met Venkaiah Naiduji three to four times personally.
There are also reports that Deve Gowda would again bargain with the Congress and ditch you. What do you think?
No, we have full faith in Kumaraswami since he has kept his word every time. There is no change in our agreement.
More than one lakh people were present at the swearing-in ceremony. Nobody is bothered that the Congress-led government has lost power. So people have more expectations from us.
What would be the impact on politics of South India as for the first time a BJP-led government is formed in Karnataka?
We are proud that for the first time after 30 years a BJP-led government is formed in south. Not only in south, it would have its impact on the entire country. It is a very good sign for the BJP. Our workers in Tamil Nadu and Kerala are jubilant over the formation of the government in Karnataka.
There are reports that some sections in the BJP are not happy over the portfolio distribution in the Cabinet. Comment.
No. It is not true. It is a fabricated view of the media. Everybody in the BJP is very happy. We have given preference to the backwards, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and other weaker sections. And another six Cabinet berths would be given to the leaders of north Karnataka. There is no problem in the BJP circle.
There are also reports that your relation with Ananth Kumar is not very cordial.
We are very friendly, and from the very beginning we have been talking with Kumaraswami about the formation of the government. We are all together. Only media has cooked this news.
Mukhyamantri Chandru has repeatedly criticised you. Comment.
I don´t want to comment on that. The Party President is going to take action against him. He has spoken so many things. I don´t know what exactly is there in his mind.
There are rumours that people who are close to Ananth Kumar have not been accommodated in the Cabinet.
That is not true. Because, Ananth Kumar, myself and other senior party leaders have discussed everything from the beginning and accordingly we have taken decision. Since we are associated with a national party, no one can take independent decisions. Together we all have finalised the list of the ministers.
How do you think that your government would be different from the previous governments?
You see in the last 18 months there were quarrels and infights, and no developmental activities were initiated in the entire state. So people were very upset. The 2004 mandate is in favour of the BJP and is against the Congress party. So definitely we are going to give a corruption-free government with the motto of all-round development of whole Karnataka. We would concentrate on Information Technology and would also try to solve the problems related to the farmers. We are confident and people have lot of hopes from us.
What would be the priority of your government?
About 70 per cent of population of Karnataka consists of farmers, SCs, STs and villagers. So we would chalk out programmes for them. And very soon it would be reflected in our budget. We would also lay a stress on IT industry as the entire world has an eye on Bangalore. We have also planned to increase the infrastructure facilities for the IT sector.
What are the immediate challenges before your government?
Our farmers are suffering. They have lot of problems. Now we have lot of plans for them and in this budget they would be brought out. Developmental activities would be our main goal.
What is your reaction after becoming the Deputy Chief Minister?
On January 3 when our government took oath, people in the entire state became very happy. More than one lakh people were present on the occasion in an enthusiastic mood. Nobody is bothered that the Congress-led government has lost power. So people´s expectations are more from us. We must meet these expectations.
Since all the big industries are coming to Bangalore, we are thinking of developing other districts of Karnataka where we would develop the infrastructure like airports, roads, power, railway connectivity, bank facility etc. Districts like Sumega, Hubli and Manglore would be developed as industry hubs.
As a Finance Minister, what are your plans for the next budget?
Since there would be heavy flow of funds during the end of the financial year, I have a plan to bring out a new system that would review every three months the progress achieved in the implementation of the government schemes that would be introduced from the next financial year. We would ensure that the budgetary allocations are released periodically with the commencement of the financial year. Our next budget would be pro-people with a focus on agriculture, irrigation and infrastructure development. There are possibilities that there would be no additional taxes. We plan to create an investor-friendly atmosphere in the state so as to attract entrepreneurs.
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