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H D Kumaraswamy, former chief minister, denies he's coveting the hot seat in Delhi, but admits he's looking at a post-poll scene where he will have huge bargaining power
Many believe H D Kumaraswamy, former chief minister, wants to be Prime Minister after the elections. Their thinking: He is now an MLA, but wants to enter the Lok Sabha so that he can get the plum post should there be a hung parliament. MiD DAY asked him that, and other important questions, at an exclusive interview:
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Chalo lok sabha: H D Kumaraswamy pic/Vinod Kumar T | MiDDAY: There is a buzz that you entered the fray only after an astrologer predicted that you have a good chance of becoming the prime minister.
H D Kumaraswamy: No, that's not true. I am not interested in any position. I have never thought of becoming Prime Minister.
Then why did you opt for parliamentary elections when you are a sitting MLA?
The state has all along been getting step-motherly treatment from the central government, irrespective of which party has ruled. The Congress ruled the country for more than four decades while the BJP led a coalition government for almost eight years, but Karnataka never got its due.
That is because of the absence of a strong state lobby at Delhi. If the JD(S) gets enough representation, we can make our voice heard in Parliament. What AIADMK and DMK are to Tamil Nadu, JD(S) is to Karnataka. But to strengthen the state lobby we need numbers, and each seat adds to the number. That is the reason I chose to contest parliamentary elections.
But you said you would return to state politics after spending a year in Parliament...
No, that is not exactly what I said. What I have said is, if I go to Parliament, it does not mean I am out of state politics. I will be active in state politics in addition to fighting for the state in the Lok Sabha. Let me also say that I will contest the next assembly elections.
All major parties have fielded sitting MLAs for the Lok Sabha polls, which means by-polls for the assembly in a while. Doesn't this reflect political bankruptcy?
The term 'political bankruptcy' applies to the BJP... it scouted for candidates from other parties. This time there are seven sitting MLAs in the fray, and this is nothing new. Even in the past, many sitting MLAs have contested parliamentary polls and gone up to the Lok Sabha. Winning is the criterion, and parties go for winning candidates irrespective of whether they are sitting MLAs or sitting MPs.
How are you doing in your constituency Bangalore (Rural)?
The response is tremendous. We are looking for a big lead.
Tejaswini from the Congress is one of your opponents. She had defeated your father in the last elections, and has said she would create history by humbling you.
(Sarcastically) She is a great leader I can't comment on her.
Of the 28 seats in Karnataka, how many are you expecting for the JD(S)?
We must get between 12 and 16. Going by the response I can say we will repeat our 1994 results, when we had won 16, and my father became Prime Minister.
But opinion polls give just three seats for your party.
I don't attach any credibility to these opinion polls. I am sorry to say that some TV channels have commercialised them to fill their revenue gaps. They are playing into the hands of the vested interests when everybody knows the ground reality is something else. This we have seen time and again, but there is no end to the circus.
What is the actual purpose of the Third Front? Political observers say it has been created to get post-poll bargain power.
These fronts are only momentary, the real alliance happens only after the polls. Let me tell you there will be new front in the post-poll scene, and you may call it a Fifth Front that forms the government. But everything depends on the numbers that individual parties get.
What is your strategy to face the BJP in the poll battle?
We need no strategy because the bad governance of BJP says it all. Yeddyurappa has crossed all limits in corruption. Firing on farmers in Haveri, attacking women in Mangalore and Bangalore, vandalising churches, and creating a scare among the public are his achievements.
On top of it, he has created a new record in election malpractice. His home district Shimoga, from where his son is contesting, stands number one in violation of the model code of conduct. Bellary follows it closely.
What are you doing to check this?
We have pleaded with the Election Commission to postpone polling in these two constituencies. If they are not, paramilitary forces must be deployed because irregularities and poll violence are expected.
Your elderly father had advised you to be dignified when you speak, after you described leaders who defected to the BJP as old oxen going to the slaughter house.
I know my statement has hurt many, and I apologise. What I meant was, the BJP is like a slaughter house and leaders joining it from the other parties will be slaughtered mercilessly. | 
