BENGALURU: This is no Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. It was BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa’s ode to the commode that turned a family’s lives upside down. In 2018, just before the Assembly election, Yeddyurappa decided to spend a night with slum dwellers to gain first-hand experience of their problems and aspirations. He chose autodriver Munirathna’s 22 by 12 feet tiny house at Lakshmanpuri slum in Gandhinagar. The house with asbestos sheet roofing has just one room, a small hall, a kitchen and a bathroom with an Indian style commode. The family didn’t know then what was in store for them.
Just before his stay, some of his party workers realised that Yeddyurappa wouldn’t be comfortable using the Indian style squat toilet and decided to get a western one installed. Loo and behold! it was ready. The BJP foot the bill. After his stay, Yeddyurappa didn’t contact them again and find out about their commode woes. The family is not amused.
Indrani, 64, who owns the house and stays with her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, wondered what all that fuss about a toilet was. It was at our expense, she said. “We are not used to the western commode. In fact, I fell and hurt myself. Then we decided to change it to our old style. We removed the western toilet and constructed a new Indian style one and had to spend Rs 15,000 from our pocket. When we asked our local leaders, they paid us only Rs 4,000,’’ she said. And left a Rs 11,000 hole in their toilet!
Like many slums in Bengaluru, Lakshmanpuri slum too has many issues including drinking water, frequent power cuts and bad roads. And toilet was never an issue for Munirathna. But it became one after the BJP leader’s stay.
Asked if Yeddyurappa approached them again, Indrani said they hadn’t seen him after his stay with them. Not even after the elections. A senior BJP leader, when contacted, said they were not aware of this issue. “If the family approaches the BJP office and explains to our leaders, payment can be done,’’ he said.