BENGALURU: Govinde Gowda (76), from Kunigal had arrived at Krishna — Chief Minister’s home office — at 7.30 AM on Tuesday for H D Kumaraswamy’s first ‘meet the public’ event- popularly referred to as ‘Janata Darshan’. The senior citizen was one among about 85 people who had come to meet H D Kumaraswamy from various districts. The meet was scheduled at 10 AM but Chief Minister arrived only by 1 PM. While people waited for him for four hours, H D Kumaraswamy was busy visiting the Adichunchanagiri mutt.
Officials from the Chief Minister’s office said that Tuesday’s ‘meet the people’ was an informal, makeshift setup to stop people from gathering around H D Kumaraswamy’s residence in J P Nagar.
“Hundreds of people would line up outside the house causing disturbance to neighbours. We asked people to come here instead. This is an informal setup and we are yet to begin official Janata Darshans,” said an official of the CMO. People had travelled from districts like Bijapur, Ballari, Bagalkot, Tumkur to meet Kumaraswamy.
“I want the Chief Minister to lower ticket fares in sleeper coaches for senior citizens. We do not get subsidy right now,” said Mallikarjun M Bathangi, a 69-year-old farmer who had travelled all the way from Vijayapura. Citizens from Harappanahalli had come with a petition seeking re-allocation of the constituency to Davangere. The constituency was merged with Ballari- that is hundreds of kms away to ensure that people of the constituency get benefits under Article 371 J.
“We have to travel 180 kms to even get a caste or education certificate. Life was easier when the town was part of Davangere that is just 30 kms away,” said K G Ajjanagouda.
H D Kumaraswamy met each visitor individually and read through their petitions promising action and assuring relief. Munivenkatamma, a resident of Bengaluru and a breast cancer survivor came to the meet hoping for relief and medical reimbursements.
“I am sure that I will receive help this time,” she smiled with confidence. H D Kumaraswamy’s Janata Darshan when he was the Chief Minister in 2006 had gone a long way in establishing his image as a pro-people Chief Minister. He now intends to bring back the culture.