For, a young astrologer from the bordering Ananthpur district in Andhra Pradesh is supposed to have told Gowda and his son, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy that stars bode well. “Gowda would be a prime minister at least for two and half years and then would move onto to become the President for a full term,” the astrologer is said to have divined.
Gowda who is instrumental in bringing together eight parties to float the Third Front is seriously working towards the “dream of forming a non-Congress, non-BJP government at the Centre.” The Front took off officially on March 12 setting the poll tones with a huge rally near Tumkur bordering Bangalore City.
Receiving visitors in a crumpled white panche (dhothi) and stitched cotton banian (vest), Gowda seems hardly the person who has influenced the State politics for more than four decades.
Gowda’s uncanny knack of foreseeing events and striking political alliances has earned him the sobriquet of “round-the-clock politician”, who breathes and lives politics. He is even known for wreaking havoc on political rivals and rarely forgets and forgives.
These days, he is obsessed with strengthening the Third Front as he sees it a final opportunity to play a key role in national politics. “Wait and see how the political chemistry changes in the coming days,” he says. It may seem a mere coincidence but the very next day, Naveen Patnaik severed ties with the BJP and turned towards the Left parties.
It is Saturday (March 7, 2009) and Gowda is busy going through the final draft of a memorandum to be submitted to the governor. It accuses Bellary mining magnate and minister G Janardhan Reddy and his brothers of conniving to loot the state’s rich mineral resources bordering Andhra Pradesh with the tacit support of Andhra Chief Minister Y S Rajashekhara Reddy.
Absorbed in the drafting, he is unwilling to speak to the media on any other issue that day. When a local TV journalist asks for his sound byte in English for their
national network, he chases him away saying that he would spell out details of the Third Front only on March 12. “This shows your lack of commitment to protect the State’s interest,’’ he says.
Sitting in his bedroom with a spread of newspapers and a telephone diary on the teapoy, he is meeting visitors. The spacious room is cluttered with plastic chairs, steel almirahs and piles of papers and files. The only tidy spot is his neatly made cot. A mosquito net is left hanging from the ceiling. There are many pictures of Hanuman on the wall, along with those of Venkateshawara and Eshwara.
After the last of the visitors have left, Gowda usually proceeds to have a bath, read Hanuman chalis, Astalakshmi stotra and other religious texts for about 15 minutes before performing a quick pooja.
He calls his gunman Devendra Gowda to bring Hanuman prasadam.
A theist to the core, Gowda shifted to ‘Amogha,’ his son-in-law Dr Chandrashekhar’s house in the posh Padmanabha Nagar locality because of its superior vaastu. Before shifting base, he performed a Mandala homa and Gana homa to ward off any evil spirits.
After breakfast, he leaves to meet the governor and present the memorandum on illegal mining. A lengthy discussion later, Gowda heads to address a rally to protest the mining. In the scorching heat, he addresses a small gathering till late noon, around 3.30 pm. Then he is off to a Third Front meeting at Dabspet, about 50 km from Bangalore. On the way to the venue, he instructs party spokesperson Y S V Datta on the arrangements, even on getting chairs from a neighbouring district.
There is some good news. The state government has just ordered a Corps of Detectives (CoD) inquiry into the procurement of poor quality raagi (millet) in Hassan — Gowda’s home turf. The leader is pleased. It was one of the several mini-battles that he hopes to win in the run up to the forthcoming elections.
We make a quick stop for lunch at his house. Even during his meal — of raagi mude, sambar, rice and curds — he is busy receiving calls.
For Gowda, evenings are usually long and stretch into wee hours of the next morning as he finalises strategies and meets key leaders. He hardly sleeps nowadays according to Devendra Gowda.
Returning home, Gowda speaks about prospects of the Third Front. According to him, the Front would come up with programmes to expose failures of both the UPA and the NDA regimes besides giving a solution to end the current mess. “Unless we come clear in our agenda, how can we expect people to vote for us,” he asks.
Though not willing to state that the Third Front would form the next government, Gowda senses a chance to play a major role post-polls. So will he be the
automatic choice from the Front to head the non-Congress non-BJP government if the NDA and UPA fail? “It is difficult to say whether the next prime minister would be from the Third Front. It all depends on the people’s support.” Gowda reasons that there would a lot of political churning before the LS polls and hastens to add that “the Front is ready to govern and also prepared to sit in the opposition.”
Would he repeat the 1996 show by winning 16 LS seats from Karnataka and become the prime minister? There is a short pause and Gowda says, “It all depends on what kind of support I get from Karnataka during the polls.”
On his political heir apparent, the 49-year-old Kumaraswamy, Gowda says: “He has both negative and positive qualities. While he helped the BJP come to power by joining hands with them, he also did some good work and is well-loved by people wherever he goes.” But Gowda adds that Kumaraswamy cannot be above the party. “Without the party, he is nothing,” he says — dispassionately, though.
This time too Kumaraswamy is hobnobbing with the Congress while Gowda has firmly ruled out an alliance. It appears that the Congress and the JD(S) might head for a tacit understanding and Gowda will dictate the terms to the Congress.
rajashekhara@epmltd.com