By Firoz.T.Totanawala
The Bangalore Metro Reporter
CHALLENGING THE HISTORY…
SRIRAMULU’S DECISION OF A REGIONAL PARTY MAY SINK HIM
Sriramulu who won the Bellary by-elections recently against heavy odds is planning to form a regional party. He is also talking to JD(U) leaders like Bihar CM Nitesh Kumar. And few self styled OBC leaders and self proclaimed intellectuals are making efforts to form a front of dalit and backward class organisations under his leadership. But, Sriramulu must refresh the history of regional parties before forming one.
Now that Sriramulu has won the Bellary by-election decisively, he is surrounded by sycophants who are creating illusions about his ‘national importance’. And Sriramulu, believing them is preparing to form a new political party in the state and assuming the leadership of dalits and OBCs in the state. He also mentioned that he will be holding discussions with Bihar CM Nitesh Kumar about forming an alliance joining with JD(U). He has also stated that he will decide his political move after discussions with his ‘Jailed’ friend Janardhana Reddy.
But, Sriramulu must turn the pages of history and study about the regional parties of the state. The hard reality is that many prominent and powerful leaders have floated their own regional parties in the last four decades, which were later liquidated. Men must learn from history.
The first prominent leader to float a regional party was D. Devaraj Urs, who is known as the great champion of backward classes. He had the experience of being the Chief Minister of the state for long, but, could not win even a double digit seats in the elections.
Then in the eighties, S. Bangarappa, a well known leader of backward classes tasted some success as his Kranti Rama aligning with Janata Party came to power with R. K. Hegde as the CM. But soon he broke away from the alliance and went hopping from one party to another. His regional parties failed to make an impression on the people.
H D Deve Gowda who broke away with Janata Dal formed his regional Party and succeeded in splitting the Janata Dal votes ensuring a thumping and massive victory for Congress in 1989. In 1994, Deve Gowda merged his SJP with Janata Dal and became the CM in 1994 and went on to become Prime Minister.
R K Hegde’s Nav Nirman Vedike, a regional party too died within a short span of time. There were some small regional parties which vanished into air even before they took off. To put it bluntly, the regional party experiment has miserably failed in the state.
And Sriramulu despite his ‘image’ cannot be compared with the likes of Devaraj Urs, R K Hegde or S. Bangarappa. His antecedents too do not provide much scope for his regional party. He was an unknown figure in politics just five years back and shot into limelight when he landed in Bangalore by a helicopter to tender his resignation from the cabinet during JD(S)-BJP rule.
Sriramulu was a part and parcel of the BJP government for all these years and cannot fight it by feigning innocence. He may have money and muscle and can damn well form a regional party of his own and even align it with Jagan Mohan’s YSR Congress in AP, but, sustaining a political party is no joke. On the contrary, Jagan Mohan is also struggling hard to keep his party floating. Once he gets entrapped in CBI, he too will be in a lot of trouble.
By the way, as Sriramulu is one of the Directors of the OMC and CBI is also probing mining scam in Karnataka under directions of the Supreme Court, he may face trouble in the near future.
Of course, Sriramulu may receive support from discredited and devalued politicians, but that will become a liability to him. Once Sriramulu gets CBI knocking at his door, it will be the end of the road for his political importance.
However one may look, Sriramulu will be doomed if he opts for formation of a regional party. It is just like ‘Fools rush in where angels fear to tread’.
And that is all.
Posts
