BANGALORE: Call Ayanur Manjunath, former MLA, MP and the BJP leader from Shimoga, on his mobile and the caller tune that you get to hear bears an uncanny resemblance to his political life.
It is "Ae mere vathan ke logo; Zara aankh me bhar lo paani; Jo shahid huye hai unki; Zara yaad karon kurbani….’’ (Oh, people of my country, remember those who sacrificed for the country and fill your eyes with tears…..). It is worth recalling that on many occasions, he was made a sacrificial goat in Shimoga politics for others’ political advantages. He sprang a surprise from Hosanagar constituency, which was then spread from Kollur to Kudli - around 120 kms, in 1994 on BJP ticket.
The surprise that it was, the party did not allow him to enjoy his full term. It fielded him against Bangarappa for the 1998 Lok Sabha election. He lost. He, however, won in the LS election in 1998, which turned out to be a brief outing (13 months to be precise).
But, politically, he was branded as the anti-Bangarappa man. When he learnt that the BJP leaders were hobnobbing with Bangarappa and were trying to take the latter into the party, he left BJP to join Janata Party of Vijay Mallya.
BJP fielded Bangarappa in the 2004 LS election. Then S M Krishna pitched Ayanur against Bangarappa after taking him into the Congress.
Ayanur lost.
The odd marriage between the BJP and Bangarappa did not last long. In 2005 Bangarappa resigned from the seat and BJP. He contested on Samajwadi Party ticket in the by-election held in 2005. Congress fielded Ayanur again. Thanks to the secret `understanding’ between the then Congress leaders and Bangarappa, Ayanur got defeated. He was sidelined in the Congress.
Before 2008 Assembly elections Yeddyurappa brought Ayanur into the BJP assuring to make him a candidate in the LS election. But he was forced to contest in 2008 May Assembly election from Bhadravati knowing fully well that the BJP had no base in that industrial town. While 2009 LS election was nearing, Bangarappa decided to join the Congress. Everyone thought Ayanur was the right choice of the BJP to fight Bangarappa. But BJP fielded Yeddyurappa’s elder son B Y Raghavendra.
Ayanur is sidelined again.
Thus, for Ayanur its ``Yaad karo kurbani, zara aankh me bhar lo paani’’.