EDIGA community seems to be facing a leadership crisis.
Compared to the influence leaders like Sarekoppa Bangarappa, Kagodu Thimmappa, RL Jalappa and Janardhan Pujari had over the community the younger generation leaders Kumar Bangarappa, Madhu Bangarappa, Haratalu Halappa, Beluru Gopalakrishna or J Narasimhaswamy are yet to match up to.
Ediga community, one of the important backward communities in the state , is spread in Doddaballapur area, Shimoga , Dakshina and Uttara Kannada districts. Compared to the total population of Karnataka, Ediga community is a minor group. But the community enjoys good business influence in Bangalore, and politically it is the most sensitive, organised and influential community. Its leaders have been playing an important role in the state and Central politics. Edigas were toddy tappers. In the pre-independence period they were also warriors under Keladi and Vijayanagara dynasties and some chieftains.
After independence when the state government banned toddy tapping they shifted to agriculture. But only a few families enjoyed land ownership.
Rest of them were tenants working under absentee landlords.
When the Socialists launched the land-to-the-tiller movement in Shimoga district, this community stood with them. The movement made them the most sensitive and organised community of the state. Leaders like Bangarappa, Thimmappa, Jalappa, Janardhan Pujari making use of this sensitivity and influence have become notable leaders in state and national politics.
However, the younger generation leaders, either being born in an influential family or being the myrmidons of senior leaders, have gained leadership.
Kumar and Madhu -- who started their career as an actor and in the music recording industry respectively -- entered politics because their father Bangarappa is into politics.
Similarly, Narasimhaswamy is the son of Jalappa.
Haratalu Halappa and Beluru Gopalakrishna came to politics after working as interns under Bangarappa for a few years. For these second generation leaders the leadership has come as a gift.
They did not earn it.
It is not that the second generation leaders are not recognised by the community.
But they are not as strong as their mentors. When Kumar Bangarappa entered electoral politics for the first time in 1996 after his father resigned as legislator from Sorab Assembly segment to successfully contest from Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency, he was called the ‘chip of the old block’. But not too long after he indulged in a conflict with his father. Subsequent developments blocked his progress as an influential leader.
Same is the case with other second generation leaders.
They involved more in changing political loyalties than growing influential within the community. Unlike the earlier leaders they did not give importance to taking the community together.
They took the community for granted and indulged in other activities thinking that the community would support as it had supported their elders.
As far as leadership is concerned the community is at a crossroads now. The first generation leaders are aged now and the second generation is more interested in other issues rather than taking-up the leadership.
arun@expressbuzz.com