Ahead of the Karnataka elections, Congress general secretary (organisation), K C Venugopal speaks to Preetha Nair about the party’s prospects, stand on a broad Opposition unity, leadership tussle in Rajasthan, new CWC, caste Census and BJP’s Christian outreach among other issues.
How important is the Karnataka election for Congress as it comes after the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha?
Every election is important for every political party. However, the Karnataka election is not only important for the Congress but for the nation itself. The country is facing an extraordinary situation now as the BJP has blatantly subverted democratic institutions. In Karnataka, there’s a great chance for Congress to win, because people are fed up with the corrupt BJP government. Farmers, students, young people, and everyone are concerned about corruption, high unemployment, and price rise among other issues.
The party seems to be facing issues over CM post?
We have solved all the issues and there is no competition for the CM ship. There is nothing wrong with leaders aspiring to become CM. Our position is very clear and we follow a procedure. After the election, all our MLAs will have a say. The high command will take the final call.
Some reports say JD(S) may be a kingmaker. What will be Congress position if such a situation arises?
Most surveys and ground reports are in favor of Congress. We will cross 120 seats comfortably and I am confident that we can form a government without any support. There is no need of discussing an alliance with JD(S) at the moment.
Congress has been pushing for caste Census as a poll issue. Can it be a counter to BJP’s Hindutva plank?
It’s not Hindutva versus caste Census. The UPA government conducted a caste Census in 2011. Why doesn’t the BJP publish it? Let them conduct a fresh caste Census otherwise. In Karnataka, the government changed its reservation policy just before the elections. Such changes should be based on concrete data. They talk about OBC welfare and dragged Rahul Gandhi unnecessarily into it. If there’s an iota of sincerity, let them release the 2011 data.
The Siddaramaiah government conducted a caste survey in 2015. Why wasn’t it published?
The survey was completed towards the end of its tenure and the government could not publish it. Now the Congress is of the strong view that it should be released.
After Karnataka, Congress will be facing big-ticket elections in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh. But the Gehlot-Pilot turf war in Rajasthan is yet to be settled.
No one talks about how BJP is in disarray in the state. Of course, Rajasthan is one of the potential states for us. There may be differences between the leaders, but we will sort it out and fight united in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh. Our entire focus will be on these three states after the Karnataka polls.
Congress has now taken the initiative of talking to Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav, Sharad Pawar etc. Is Nitish’s formula of ‘one seat, one candidate against the BJP’, acceptable to all?
Broadly, we agree that the BJP is the principal enemy of most of Opposition parties. We are fighting against the entire machinery of the government, which is misusing CBI, ED, and other agencies to target Opposition parties. They are putting pressure on the judiciary also. Therefore, the majority of Opposition parties think that there should be unity
Considering the internal contradictions among Opposition parties, how will you take unity forward?
So far, we haven’t discussed such details. I admit that there are differences. In some states, we cannot ally with some of opposition parties. They are also facing the same problem. In that scenario, we can look at both pre-election and post-election alliances. Our main aim is to minimise the maximum number of BJP seats.
Some parties are unhappy with Congress over its ‘big brother’ attitude.
How can you say that Congress has a ‘big-brother’ attitude? I was in charge of Karnataka during the 2018 elections. Congress secured 80 seats while JD(S) got 37 seats. Within an hour of the results, we offered the CM post to JD(S). For two years, Congress was a minor partner in the government.
Is Congress ready to make compromises for Opposition unity?
For the larger interests of the country, we are ready to make compromises if we can protect our identity.
Sharad Pawar wasn’t on the same page with others on the JPC probe on Adani. Now with reports of Ajit Pawar switching to the BJP, do you think it will hurt the MVA alliance and broader Opposition unity?
These are attempts by PM Modi and HM Amit Shah to split every Opposition party. Sharad Pawar is the tallest leader of NCP and he knows how to tackle the issues. I don’t want to comment on their internal matters. I’m confident that NCP workers are with Sharad Pawar. The MVA alliance is also intact. In coalition politics, all parties need to respect each other’s ideologies and opinions. When we formed the MVA government, we put forward a common minimum programme. When there is a bigger political adversary, you have to think in terms of broader unity.
Are you looking at a model similar to the 2004 UPA government in 2024?
We aim to defeat BJP. Discussions are in the initial stage and everything will evolve gradually.
Will there be a meeting of the opposition parties by the end of this month?
I cannot give a concrete date but soon it will happen.
Will there be a new CWC after the Karnataka polls?
Certainly. The Congress president is on the job. He has been busy with Karnataka polls. After the election, he will take a call.
Will BJP’s outreach to Christians in Kerala hurt Congress?
BJP targets Christians and their churches everywhere in India. I have raised this issue many times in Parliament. I don’t think the Christians will go with BJP as they know the DNA of the saffron party.