BENGALURU: Resort politics is not new to Karnataka. The state seems to be one of the favourite destination for resort politics for various political parties from across the country. This time, fearing poaching by the BJP, the Congress has moved its Gujarat MLAs to a private resort in Bengaluru ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled to be held on August 8.
Way back in 1984, actor turned politician and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N T Rama Rao had gone to the US for heart surgery. By the time he returned, then AP governor who was appointed by the Congress led Union government had made N Bhaskar Rao the chief minister.
After NTR returned, the governor asked him to prove his majority. As a precaution, NTR brought all Telugu Desham Party MLAs, including Chandra Babu Naidu to Karnataka. Then then Karnataka Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde helped NTR and his team. “They stayed close to a month in Dasaprakash Paradise. Hegde wholeheartedly supported NTR,’’ senior Congress MLC V S Ugrappa recalled. During their stay, the MLAs stayed in several star hotels in Bengaluru,’’ he added.
In 2002, the then Maharashtra chief minister Vilas Rao Deshmukh brought his MLAs to Karnataka. “When he was asked to prove majority, as many as 71 MLAs from Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) along with a few independents came to Karnataka. D K Shivakumar and Roshan Baig, who were ministers in S M Krishna’s cabinet played hosts. These Maharashtra MLAs were taken to historical and tourist places in and around Mysuru. The team stayed in Golden Palm Resort near Nelamangala,’’ Congress sources told Express.
Bengaluru Rural MP D K Suresh and a Congress leader who are now playing hosts to the Gujarat MLAs, said there have been many instances where MLAs from other states stayed in Karnataka. “This instance is all because of BJP. They practice horse trading. We are just coordinating with the MLAs and taking them to the places which they want to visit,’’ he said.
When asked why Karnataka and particularly Bengaluru was chosen all these times, Ugrappa said “The climate in Bengaluru and Karnataka is good which everyone love to experience. When NTR and team came to Karnataka, Hegde, who represented Janata Dal supported NTR because both the parties were part of the Third Front. During Deshmukh and team’s visit, Congress was in power here with S M Krishna as CM. Now too Congress MLAs came to a Congress-ruled state,’’ he said.
A senior BJP leader said resort politics is not new to legislators from Karnataka. “Such things have happened from the time of Veerendra Patil, S Bangarappa, H D Kumaraswamy, B S Yeddyurappa till Siddaramaiah. This is common done to be in power. The basic intention is to keep legislators in one place and watch them,’’ he said.