BENGALURU: Compelled to turn the public perception about him and his coalition government, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has decided to reinvent 'grama vastavya' his popular village stay program. Despite his doctors shooting down his proposal for village stays citing health reasons last year, Kumaraswamy has resolved to work it out.
Post the Lok Sabha poll drubbing that JDS and Congress received in Karnataka, both parties have decided to relook at their strategies, especially to ward off ill-perception about the coalition government.
While the plan is still in the pipeline with no clarity on schedules or time frame, Chief Minister's office confirmed to The New Indian Express that Grama Vastavya will be restarted soon.
During his previous stint as Chief Minister in 2006-2007 Kumaraswamy had gained widespread public recognition and appreciation for visiting remote villages and staying at villages to directly interact with people and understand their issues.
His Grama Vastavya was one of the key reasons for his popularity in North Karnataka- a region where the JDS barely has any dedicated vote bank. "The Chief Minister will restart his grama vastavya program but we are yet to work up the details. An official statement will be released soon after a schedule is drawn," said a source from the Chief Minister's office.
Kumaraswamy is expected to kickstart the village program before July when the assembly will convene for the monsoon session. Sources close to the Chief Minister suggested that more than dispelling negative public perception about the government, the Village Stay program is aimed at changing the perception that Kumaraswamy has become inaccessible for people and his own partymen.
Leaders of the JDS had been complaining of Kumaraswamy choosing to work out a star hotel where they were denied entry thus making it difficult for them to interact with him. Kumaraswamy is looking at this grama vastavya as an opportunity to reconnect with voters, party leaders as well as coalition partners. A go-ahead from party supremo HD Devegowda, who had earlier rejected a proposal for grama vastavya, is awaited.