Naheed Ataulla

Bengaluru, 17 Nov

Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and BJP MLA representing Hubballi–Dharwad West, Arvind Chandrakant Bellad, is seen as a youth icon of the party. If not for internal opposition in the BJP, Bellad would have made it to the post of Chief Minister in 2021 after BS Yediyurappa stepped down. In an interview with Salar Upclose, Bellad opens up on his party's functioning, the Lingayat community’s support and his political future.

1. Did you undertake the recently concluded socio-educational survey which was opposed by some BJP leaders including Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and BJP MP Tejesvi Surya, who said they will not participate?

I think any kind of government survey, if done with good intention, we need to take part. I took part in the socio-educational survey because I thought it is important that the State actually finds out what the exact status of different people is.

The reason for Joshi and Surya opposing the survey is because of the intention behind the survey. If the intention is actually to find out the socio-economic status, anyway the Central government has a mandate to carry out the census. They are going to conduct it in another six months. So there was no need to spend hundreds of crores of State money when the State was already short of funds.

The whole idea behind Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's survey was to show that certain communities have a lesser percentage of population and to consolidate his position in the party. We all know Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is aiming for his seat. 

Siddaramaiah’s idea was to create confusion among Lingayats, Vokkaligas, and other communities and show that their numbers are not as high as people believe. He wanted to claim that minorities and other backward classes are more in numbers and therefore he should continue to lead the party, instead of handing over the position to Shivakumar.

2. While BJP State President BY Vijayendra clarified that the party had not taken an official stand to boycott the survey, he advised all Hindu communities to declare themselves as Hindu in the religion column. This was a move seen as a counter to calls from some Lingayat leaders to use the others category?  What was your stand?

Like in other communities, among Lingayats too there are extreme fundamentalists. If you look at 12th century social reformer Basavanna’s philosophy and Lingayat philosophy, it's nothing but Hinduism. Basavanna ended each of his Vachanas with the name of Kudala Sangama Deva, another name for Shiva. 

Another social reformer Akka Mahadevi ended hers with Sri Channamallikarjuna. Devara Dasimaayya, one of the Sharanas (devotees) from a backward community, ended his Vachanas with Ramanatha, taking the names of Ram and Eshwar together.

Hinduism believes in numerous gods. You can follow whichever deity is close to your heart. Some people want to project Basavanna as a radical neo-religious figure. They want to claim his teachings are separate from Hinduism. This is being encouraged by Siddaramaiah. This is a ploy by Siddaramaiah and his Leftist ideology friends, which is why we had to take a stand.

3. Chief minister Siddaramaiah has accused the BJP of stalling the caste census because of its discomfort with caste-based data which has denied rightful opportunities to the marginalised groups by bypassing reservations through privatisation and lateral entry? For the BJP, according to Siddaramaiah the other backward classes are “mere symbols” rather than equals.

He has done only lip service for the people. Why didn't Siddaramaiah implement the socio-economic survey done in 2015, he was the chief minister from 2013 to 2018?  He has tried to create confusion in the current survey. He tried to introduce Lingayat Christian, Panchamasali Christian and Banajiga Christian. In Islam or Christianity, they do not believe in caste. There is only one religion. Why create caste groups here?

4.You represent the key subsect of the Lingayat community which is  unhappy with the Congress government delaying  their inclusion in  the  reservation category from the present  3 B and secondly  you have said the reservation quota  earmarked for the Christians and Muslims should be  given to  the Panchamsalis?

The Panchamsalis wanted from 3B to 2D. The Constitution is very clear that reservation should be based on caste not religion. BR Ambedkar said reservation should be based on caste, not religion. Islam and Christianity do not follow caste. So there is no question of giving caste-based reservation to these religions. My proposal was that the reservation currently given to Muslims and Christians—which is constitutionally questionable—can instead be given to communities deprived of adequate reservation like Marathas, Vokkaligas and Lingayats.

5. The BJP central leadership has banked heavily on the Lingayat community for votes, however in recent elections players from other communities like the Vokkaligas and the scheduled castes have been favouring the party?  Has this undermined the importance of the community?

Not at all. For the BJP to come to power, we need the support of all communities. And Lingayats importance has not come down. That thought itself is not there in the party. Things will change slowly. Earlier, the backward communities, scheduled castes and tribes, even the Lingayats were not with the BJP. They have all joined because misconceptions about BJP’s ideology are clearing. The BJP’s ideology is: Nation first, party next, individual last. Eventually, minorities and other communities will also understand this.

6.Your party does not give tickets to the minorities and when tickets are not given, how do you expect them to vote for the BJP?

Tickets are given to winnable candidates. Our Muslim candidates are not winning. We need Muslim candidates who can win. In Karnataka, my party made Prof Mumtaz Ali Khan a minister, so it is not that Muslims are not accepted. In my constituency, my father gave corporation tickets to Muslim candidates multiple times, but they lost miserably, even in Muslim dominated areas.

7.Former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, who played a big role in building the BJP in Karnataka, was the only Lingayat face of the community all these years?  Who are the emerging leaders from the community now?

Yediyurappa is a tall Lingayat leader and so are former chief ministers Basavaraj Bommai and Jagadish Shettar. BJP State unit President BY Vijayendra and myself are also Lingayat leaders.

8. You were among the top front runners when the BJP central leadership was looking for a successor after Yediyurappa stepped down as the chief minister in 2021. As reports suggested, if Yediyurappa had not opposed your candidature, you would have been the chief minister in place of Basavaraj Bommai? Can you share what transpired that you were also not taken in the cabinet of Basavaraj Bommai?

I really don't know what transpired and only learnt from the media that my name was being considered. The High Command decided on Basavaraj Bommai as he was more experienced and would take everyone along. And he did.

9. As an alumnus of INSEAD business school in France and considered to have a progressive vision about development, you are being groomed by a section of the RSS as the future face of the BJP in Karnataka, but Yediyurappa apparently views you as a threat to his son and State BJP president BY Vijayendra? Comment.

Politics is a long race. In INSEAD, we had a professor named Henry Mintzberg, who was nominated for the Nobel Prize twice. His theory was: “Life is about shoot and aim, not aim and shoot.” You are given a responsibility, you do it, and then improve. If you're lucky you hit the bulls eye; if not, you still grow.

I believe in that theory. Party gave me responsibilities and I worked. People rewarded me with higher margins in subsequent elections.

So whatever responsibility the party gives, I will work sincerely. Whatever has to happen will happen.

10. Do you have hopes of making it big in future as the BJP central leadership is known to spring surprises by picking unknown and fresh faces for the chief minister's post, which was the case in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh?

I have ideas about development and bringing people together. If the party gives me responsibility, I can deliver.

11. Can you elaborate on your statements that the BJP has to stay united if it has to come to power in the next Assembly elections and the present internal bickering cannot continue?

We still have a long way to go. But there is now a realisation that we must come together. This realisation itself is a big step. I’m sure it will help us put up a stronger fight.

12. What's your take on the Congress vote chori campaign?

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi needs to listen to the real political leaders. He should stop listening to these NGO kinds of people who have no understanding of the politics or real issues troubling the people. People will not buy these kinds of strategies like 'vote chori’.

We all know there will be some discrepancies in voters' lists.  In my election, there is a place called Nanagar which is a 95 per cent BJP area. Some 600 odd votes were missing.

The Special Intensive Registration (SIR) is a process of cleaning up the system and if someone's name has appeared in two or three booths, this process will eliminate it.

On one hand, he opposes one name appearing multiple times in the list and on the other is against SIR. There is no stuff in what he is opposing.

It's high time Rahul Gandhi starts listening to real issues of people because people will not respond to issues that are created.

Sometimes I feel bad for him that even after so many years, he is not able to  win for his party.

13. A year ago you had called out IT giant Infosys for failing to provide job opportunities after getting subsidised land in Bengaluru, Mysuru, and Mangaluru apart from 58 acres in Hubballi, where according to you only gardening and landscaping was done. Have things improved after that?

Yes, it worked. Infosys has now recruited around 1,500 people in the Hubballi campus. The campus has a capacity for 3,000 in a single shift. I’m sure they will reach that number soon.

14. How are pilot projects in your Hubballi- Dharwad West constituency of LKG and UKG pre-school in government institutions after you noticed a dip in the school attendance and a mobile phone app to listen to grievances of your voters' going?

In 2014, I launched a constituency management app—the first of its kind in the country. It allowed complaint tracking, data on wards, streets, turn around time etc. But people prefer calling me directly or meeting me personally.  So the app exists, but people don’t use it much.

I studied in a private school and did not know much about government institutions.  I visited a government for the first time after becoming an MLA. When I asked the school principal about the students' strength in the lower and upper kindergarten, he said they don't have it. Parents were sending their children by auto rickshaws and buses to other schools.

I said when parents are able to spend money on transportation, why not start LKG/UKG here. I discussed with other school principals and space was made to start kindergarten classes in 70 per cent of the schools.

We documented the experiment and sent it to the government to take it up as a project.  The finance department turned it down saying Anganwadis are there to take care of these children. The credit goes to former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, who started thousands of such schools.

15. Opposition Leader R Ashoka and you are perceived to be soft on the government, when it comes to taking on issues?

As I said, we need to put up a much stronger fight. We have been doing it in the earlier Assembly sessions. Ashoka is generally soft by nature and is not harsh in his choice of words. But he is doing a good job.

16. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being credited with every election the BJP has been winning since 2014. Are there no other charismatic leaders apart from him?

Modi is a charismatic leader. When he is there and winning elections for us, why worry?

17. But where is the individuality of party leaders in Karnataka?

Individuals naturally benefit through Modi. The BJP gets votes in Modi's name as people have belief in his ethics and working system.

18. Minus Modi the party cannot win?

No. As of now we are winning because of Modi. He is our biggest campaigner. Whatever wins are happening is because of Modi and his leadership.