Is he Cong-bound? BJP MLC Vishwanath slams own party

Shyam Sundar Vattam|NT

Mysuru: The ‘Opposition leader’ within the ruling party & BJP MLC A.H. Vishwanath has dropped hints of returning to the Congress Party after spending one year in the Janata Dal (Secular) and four years in the ruling BJP.

His political journey has witnessed many ups & downs since 2016-17 when he became CM Siddaramaiah’s foe questioning him for every action of his. Subsequently, Vishwanath joined the JD(S) and got elected to the State Assembly from Hunsur Assembly constituency. Within one year, he resigned to join the BJP.

While all other 15 MLAs from the Congress and JD(S) got re-elected in by-elections, the people of Hunsur rejected Vishwanath for betraying their verdict. He was then nominated to the Legislative Council under the non-political category and that came in the way of him becoming a minister.

This angered the Kuruba leader, who wanted to become minister just like his MLA friends. Since it did not happen, he became an ‘opposition leader’ within the ruling party, mounting an attack on his own government on various fronts.

Now, he is learnt to have made up his mind to go back to the Congress Party by tendering his resignation from the Council so that he can try his luck in the Lok Sabha polls to be held in 2024 from Mysore-Kodagu constituency.

As a prelude to it, he has been praising the Congress Party saying the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by former AICC President Rahul Gandhi will bring new vigour to the grand old party of India. Going further, he has said Rahul’s mature behaviour with people and his style of addressing public meetings, have made him an alternate leader to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Disputing Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s recent statement that the Congress is a sinking ship, Vishwanath retorted, “No political party including the Congress, BJP or JD(S) is a sinking ship. They are ships moving among the people.

Defeat or victory are common in elections. But politics is not stagnant and anything may happen in the coming days”. Training his guns on the BJP led NDA Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP MLA said he was happy that the central government is giving jobs to lakhs of people in the name of ‘Udyog Mela’ but many will be denied jobs despite enjoying reservation.

The spirit of the Constitution is getting violated in the Job Mela. Those who eat almonds get employment and reservation but not a man who eats peanuts. “The state government might have hiked the quota for SC/ST communities but it is not easy to implement it. This issue needs to be debated in the legislature and also under Schedule 9 and then only it may become a reality,’’ he said.

“I have no objection to a hike in reservation for SC/ ST communities but will it not do injustice to the backward classes? What’s K.S.Eshwarappa doing? Will he agree to this injustice to backward classes? Can the government hike reservation for all communities in the coming days?’’