Priyank Kharge, Karnataka Minister for IT/BT, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, has recently courted a controversy over his demand for the removal of the portrait of Veer Savarkar installed in the assembly in Suvarna Vidhan Soudha, Belagavi. In an interview with Naushad Bijapur, the son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge explains why he insists on the removal of Savarkar’s portrait.
Excerpts:
Why are you insisting on the removal of Veer Savarkar’s portrait?
What is inside the Assembly comes under the Speaker’s jurisdiction. I am clear that any philosophy or ideology, that is against the idea of India and the Constitution and incites communal hatred, is not to be followed. And if the matter was left to me, I would have removed the portrait. That’s what I’ve been saying. However, it is the prerogative of Speaker UT Khader to take a call.
Why are you opposed to Savarkar so much when your party (Congress) is not keen on the removal of the portrait?
That’s my opinion. I am not saying the party or the Speaker is insisting on the portrait’s removal. I have very strong reservations about the ideologies, which do not fit into the framework of the Constitution.
Do you think the BJP will allow the portrait’s removal? Will it not lead to another controversy?
I am asking the BJP simple questions, which they are unable to answer. I mean to say objective-type questions. They (BJP leaders) are avoiding my questions. I asked them who gave Savarkar the title ‘Veer’. Did Savarkar take a pension of Rs 60 from the British rulers starting from 1927 onwards till 1947? Did he not take a house from them? There were around 600 cells and 80,000 prisoners in the jail (Andaman jail) and only a handful of them wrote mercy petitions seeking their release. I ask them: did Savarkar write six mercy petitions, including the one together with his wife or not? Wasn’t he the first one to suggest a two-nation theory? What was his opinion about cow worship? Did he advocate cow worship or did he say it was used for economic purposes? The BJP needs to answer these questions. Any ideology that inspired the killing of Mahatma Gandhi can’t be justified.
Which portraits do you think should be put up in the assembly if not of Savarkar?
Why shouldn’t there be a picture of Jawaharlal Nehru? He was in jail for 3,000 days. His father, mother, and daughter fought for the country’s freedom. Likewise, so many philosophers who propagated the idea of the Constitution in their philosophy… You have so many such personalities whose portraits could be put up in the Assembly.
As a Karnataka IT minister, how do you plan to tackle misinformation and fake news on social media platforms?
Misinformation, disinformation, fake news, and deepfake contents are a bigger threat to democracy. I am doing everything possible within the legal framework and without bringing new amendments, or new policies. I want to ask the Opposition about their contention. Let them point out one thing to show that this is draconian and against the Constitution and free speech. If (Union home minister) Amit Shah does it, it becomes a master strike. If the government of Karnataka does it, it is called anti-free speech.
Post Congress debacle in three state polls, how do you see the party’s prospects in 2024 Lok Sabha elections?
In all the four states where we had the assembly elections, we are able to get 40% vote share except in Madhya Pradesh where there is a stark difference of 8.55%. If we see the stats, a substantial chunk of people voted for us in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
Why did the Congress campaign fail in these states but clicked in Telangana?
Wherever we had a strong campaign, we won. Be it Karnataka or Telangana. We were able to disseminate our manifesto. But this is my personal opinion. Sometimes, we are not able to campaign aggressively. A post-mortem has to be done. The BJP says don’t give guarantees, freebies etc. On the contrary, former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said because of Ladli Behna scheme, the party won in MP. What is Ladli Behna scheme? It is nothing but Gruhalaxmi plan of Karnataka.
Are the Congress MLAs together ahead of the LS polls in Karnataka? JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy says 50 Congress MLAs are ready to switch to BJP…
The Congress is strong and ready to face the LS polls. I think HDK should worry about how many of JDS MLAs will remain with the party before the LS polls. When your (JDS) own house is on fire, why are you trying to douse the non-existing fire in the neighbour’s house?
There are reports that the government is implementing guarantees at the cost of other projects…
The BJP is saying this. None of the projects is affected by the guarantee schemes. We have been releasing funds for important projects on time. The guarantee schemes also are being implemented effectively.
Will there be a change of guard in the state after two-and-a-half years?
It is a matter for the party’s high command. I can only say that DK Shivakumar is the DCM and PCC chief. He is preparing us to face the LS polls next year. Siddaramaiah is the CM who is also doing the same.