BELAGAVI: Veteran cooperative leader and former Member of Parliament Ramesh Katti (BJP) has launched a sharp attack on both the BJP and the Congress, accusing them of reducing elections to backroom arrangements while completely sidelining grassroots party workers, a trend he said is eroding internal democracy and weakening public faith in political parties.
In an exclusive interview with The New Indian Express at his residence in Bellad Bagewadi, Katti alleged that the 2023 Lok Sabha election in Chikkodi, in which Priyanka Jarkiholi emerged victorious, was fought with a “mutual understanding”, resulting in a lacklustre campaign.
“Had the BJP fought the election with seriousness and unity, the party would have won the Chikkodi seat,” he asserted.
Katti said both parties were listening only to a select group of leaders while completely ignoring their karyakartas, leaving the cadre demoralised. “Whether it is the BJP or the Congress, party workers are today ‘on saline’. Everyone is being ignored,” he remarked bluntly.
According to him, the Congress victory in Chikkodi was a direct result of internal disunity within the BJP. “At that time, we all kept quiet. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Priyanka Jarkiholi to win,” he said, adding that “mistakes by us and by the upper-caste population helped her get elected.”
Striking a confident note about the future, Katti declared that the BJP would reclaim the Chikkodi seat in the next election. “I say this with 110 per cent confidence, the BJP will win Chikkodi next time,” he said.
Turning to cooperative politics in the Belagavi region, Katti said the Katti family’s strong trust base in Hukkeri played a decisive role in retaining control of the Hukkeri Electricity Cooperative Society despite intense political manoeuvring.
He accused the Jarkiholi brothers of attempting to enter Hukkeri politics by exploiting the vacuum allegedly created after the demise of former minister Umesh Katti.
“They believed that with Umesh Katti no more, they could easily capture Hukkeri, starting with the electricity cooperative and then the Assembly seat. But their divide-and-rule experiment failed here,” Katti said.
Asked whether he would contest the next Assembly election, Katti said the decision rests with the party. Emphasising his commitment to public service, he added, “I am content serving people from my hometown. Power and money come and go. Trust is the only thing that stays with you till death. The people of Hukkeri trust me even when I am not in power.”
Explaining his decision to step down as chairman of the District Central Cooperative (DCC) Bank, one of Karnataka’s richest cooperative banks, Katti said he chose to quit rather than be party to wrongdoing.
“I revived the bank from bankruptcy. But when illegal loan pressures started coming, I refused to compromise. Finally, I decided to call it a day,” he said.
Remembering his late brother Umesh Katti, Ramesh Katti described him as a “gentleman politician” who transcended party and religious lines and won the confidence of all sections of society.
“He identified with parties only during elections and led by example, winning the Hukkeri Assembly seat a record eight times,” he said.
In a veiled but pointed attack on his political detractors and rivals, Katti accused present-day leaders of fuelling divisions for political gain.