Given a choice between BJP and jail, I’ll prefer jail: DK Shivakumar

D K Shivakumar, the Deputy Chief Minister of the Congress government in Karnataka, is known as the ‘troubleshooter’ for his party. A born fighter, Shivakumar has rescued Congress during several crisis situations. The stay he arranged for party legislators from Maharashtra in Bengaluru to save the Vilasrao Deshmukh government in 2002 and hosting 42 Congress MLAs from Gujarat in the Karnataka capital to ensure the victory of Ahmed Patel in the Rajya Sabha elections in August 2017 are among incidents which earned this recognition for Shivakumar.

Again, it was Shivakumar who was the president of the Karnataka unit of the party in 2023 when the Congress came to power in the state with 135 seats – up from 66 seats before the election.

Currently, Shivakumar is the brain behind most of the major political moves of the Congress not only in Karnataka but also Andhra and Telangana. The senior leader, who visited Kerala recently for the Parliament election campaign, speaks to Manorama on various issues, including the witch-hunt launched by the Centre against opposition leaders using investigative agencies.

The Congress believes it can win the maximum number of seats from south India in the upcoming general elections. What are INDIA bloc’s expectations from the region?

The Congress alliance made major gains in Kerala and Tamil Nadu during the previous general elections in 2019. However, we won a mere four seats in Karnataka and Telangana. This time, we will repeat the performance in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, while making significant gains in the other two states. In Karnataka, we will win at least 20 seats and in Telangana, the number will be more than 10. The Congress-led UDF will secure all seats in Kerala and the DMK-Congress alliance every seat in Tamil Nadu.

During the 2019 elections, Karnataka was the only state where the ‘Modi factor’ was in evidence and the BJP won 25 out of the 28 seats. Do you believe the ‘Modi factor’ will work this time too?

It is true that there was a Modi wave in 2019. However, it doesn’t exist now. In fact, even Prime Minister Narendra Modi doesn’t seek votes in his name. When he visited Shivamogga in Karnataka for an election meeting recently, Modi sought votes for the BJP candidates. The situation is the same everywhere in Karnataka. They are campaigning for the respective BJP candidates. Nobody is seeking votes in Modi’s name.

The reason for this is simple. BJP has fulfilled none of its promises even after ruling for 10 years and the people have realized it. BJP rules by evoking emotions, rather than stressing on development. The Prime Minister took part in the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya as part of the BJP’s attempt to stoke up emotions.

The Congress secured a single seat in Karnataka in the previous Parliament elections. But, you claim that the party will win 20 seats this time. What makes you so confident?

We won the Assembly elections in Karnataka riding on the wave created by Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra that spent 23 days in the state, and thanks to the five minimum guarantees proposed by the Congress. We implemented those guarantees immediately after coming to power. Schemes such as free bus travel for women, free food grains, free 200 units of power and a monthly allowance of Rs 2,000 for women created a big impact.

People in Karnataka vote differently in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. In 2019, the Congress alliance was in power in Karnataka when the BJP swept the state. What is your response?

The situation is different this time. The government in Karnataka has fulfilled all its promises. On the other hand, fear of failure has gripped the BJP and they have formed an alliance with the Janata Dal (S).

You took the initiative to bring Y S Sharmila, daughter of the former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh the late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, to the Congress. Will this move benefit the party in Andhra?

Nobody becomes a leader overnight. In 2019, the Congress did not poll even two-percent of the votes in Andhra. But, we are now working hard in that state and the efforts will certainly bear fruit in future. Sharmila is systematically strengthening the party there.

The BJP has entered into an alliance with the TDP in Andhra as it has realised that victory is not possible by fighting the election alone. The efforts of the Congress to stage a comeback are making both parties anxious.

You are involved in the organizational affairs of the Congress in Telangana also. Can the party repeat its good show in the Assembly election during the upcoming polls?

The Congress will register a bigger win in Telangana than Karnataka. The BJP is weak in Telangana and the strength of BRS has eroded after the Assembly election. Several leaders have left those parties. All these factors will benefit the Congress.

What are the chances of the Congress at the national level?
The INDIA bloc will come to power at the Centre as people trust the Congress, which is leading the front. Our party highlighted five guarantees during the Assembly elections in Karnataka and won. In Telangana, we placed six guarantees and came to power in that state also. For the current Lok Sabha election, Congress is promising to implement five guarantees all over India. These guarantees are aimed at ensuring the development of the country as well as the living standards of the people and are not hollow campaign slogans. The Congress has implemented the guarantees it promised before the elections, in Karnataka and Telangana.

But, what happened to the promises made by Modi? He had claimed that all black money stashed abroad would be brought back to India and Rs 15 lakh deposited in the account of each Indian citizen. The Centre did not help common people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the BJP is campaigning over issues like the Ram Temple at Ayodhya. People know that it isn’t a common issue. Emotional issues will not work in India. We need to address hunger and similar issues affecting the ordinary people. I believe that Modi will not get another term.

The Congress has included a number of vital promises in its election manifesto such as payment of Rs one lakh to women belonging to poor families, Rs one lakh to unemployed youth and health cover of Rs 25 lakh.

The people know that the Congress will implement its promises. The party has always followed this principle.

It is alleged that the Central government is using investigative agencies against political opponents. You too spent 50 days in jail over a case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Why did the ED target you?

The Centre’s aim is to neutralize the opposition using the investigative agencies. The ED case against me, the arrest and my jail term were the consequence of my efforts to secure the victory of Ahmed Patel in the Rajya Sabha elections in 2017. Any leader who is perceived as a threat to the BJP will be targeted. P Chidambaram also was arrested. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are regularly questioned over the National Herald case. There was an attempt to disqualify Rahul as Member of Parliament over a speech because he made the BJP jittery. Chief Ministers Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren are in jail as they are part of the anti-BJP alliance. The investigating agencies are troubling Trinamool Congress leaders and Lalu Prasad Yadav also. The arrest of two chief ministers will prove to be a setback for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP has a washing machine named ‘CBI-ED’. Cases against Congress leaders in Maharashtra were dropped by the CBI and ED after they joined the BJP. These leaders have now become ‘clean’. There are several incidents where cases against non-BJP leaders were withdrawn after joining that party.

Former chief minister of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan reportedly called Ramesh Chennithala on the night before he joined the BJP and wept. Chavan told Chennithala that he has only two options – BJP or jail. This incident was revealed by All-India Congress Committee secretary P C Vishnunath during a public meeting. Many Congress leaders have received such an invitation. What about you?
I have nothing to hide. Given a choice between BJP and jail, I will choose jail.

BJP leaders in Karnataka such as K M Easwarappa and Sadananda Gowda have developed differences with the party leadership. How will the Congress utilize this opportunity?

The situation in Karnataka favours the Congress. A number of BJP leaders have left that party recently, fearing failure. It is for the same reason that the BJP changed the sitting MPs in half of the seats in Karnataka and denied a party ticket to Sadananda Gowda. BJP also shifted the constituency of Central minister Shobha Karandlaje.

Some people have criticized Rahul Gandhi for contesting from Wayanad against INDIA bloc ally CPI, rather than fighting the BJP directly. They say Rahul could have chosen a seat in Karnataka, where the Congress and the BJP are face to face. What do you feel?

I asked Rahul why he chose Kerala to contest and he told me that the state is a land of courageous people. Kerala is a place where unity and peace prevail. Its people are loving and sincere, Rahul said.

Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders are visiting Kerala, Tamil Nadu and other states in south India regularly to campaign for that party. The BJP is hoping to win more seats in the South. What is your reaction?

The BJP will not touch double-digits in South India. It will not open its account in Kerala. Shashi Tharoor said it aptly when the Prime Minister claimed that the BJP will win double-digit seats in Kerala: ‘Both those digits will be zero.’