Mysore Lok Sabha MP A.H. Vishwanath needs no introduction and is known for bluntly putting forth his views on any issue—political or otherwise. In an interview with Deccan Chronicle, the Kuruba leader says that leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, Siddaramaiah—who belongs to the same community— needs to be more diligent in tackling issues in the Congress as he would have to face more challenges in the days to come. He blames the lack of consultation in the state Congress unit as the reason for the unwarranted confrontation between top leaders.

Excerpts:

Q. You successfully organised a massive Kuruba convention last month. What lies ahead?
A. The credit must go to the community and every leader who worked to make it successful. This was the first meet in over a 100 years; the last Kuruba convention was held in 1910 at Laxmeshwara in the then undivided Dharwad district. It was an apolitical convention aimed at discussing ways to strengthen our community.

Q. But, the convention subtly tried to portray Siddaramaiah as your community's leader.
A. No one can doubt Siddaramaiah's leadership qualities. He is a leader in his own merit and no programme or convention is needed to elevate him to this position. Whether one likes it or not, the Kurubas revere him as their leader. No one can change that now.

Q. Don't you think the convention succeeded in branding him as the next CM?
A. The convention was not organised to demand any post for anyone. It was an apolitical event. With leaders from the JD(S) and BJP attending in large numbers, can a Congress leader like me demand the CM's post for Siddaramaiah? It doesn't work that way.

Q. The convention was also planned to float the National Federation for Shepherds. What is this about?
A. The shepherd community is scattered throughout the country but is identified by different names in different regions. For instance, shepherds in Karnataka are called Kurbua, in Tamil Nadu they are Kurumbava, Kurman in Andhra Pradesh and Dhangar in Maharashtra. We felt we should come under one banner and create an unique brand for the community. For instance, though Dalits comprise of hundreds of sub-sects, they are recognised as Dalits all over. Irrespective of our names, we should be known as shepherds in the days to come.

Q. Recently CPI(M) politburo member, Brinda Karat alleged that the BJP, Congress and JD(S) practice communalism at every level. Parties like Congress and JD(S) believe in dividing society on caste lines by organising caste based conventions, while BJP has divided the nation while trumpeting the majority-minority community divide. Comment
A. . I do not agree with her. Though the Congress has been part of many caste based conventions, it is neither casteist like JD(S) nor communal like BJP. We believe that caste based conventions help strengthen the democratic process and secularism. Just look at he Congress presidents in various states or chief ministers, we have provided an opportunity to even microscopic communities. Former chief ministers like Devaraj Urs, S. Bangarappa and Veerappa Moily are examples of this. Can anyone from such communities even dream of attaining such high posts in BJP or JD(S)?

Q. Despite the community's efforts, a large section of leaders in the Congress are trying to scuttle Siddaramaiah's chances of becoming CM.
A. (Smiling) That's politics. Everyone is trying to overtake everyone else. Siddaramaiah is also a leader, he knows how to play his cards. All I can say at this juncture is that he stands a a bright chance of becoming CM if he remains in the party.

Q. Do you justify Siddaramaiah's resignation because the party did not consult him on crucial matters like selecting candidates for the Council poll?
A. This could have been avoided if Siddaramaiah had not acted hastily. I personally feel that though he seems to be having a hard time in the party, actually, it is not so. The Congress is a different party. No one can question his loyalty towards the Congress or its leadership, but he must know that patience, is another quality which is needed most during testing times like this.

Q. How did this problem crop up and how it can be sorted out?
A. I have observed that the consultation process is completely missing in the state Congress. Party central leaders should have intervened to fix this problem. They should initiate a dialogue not only with leaders but with grassroot workers also to know what they actually feel about party issues. They also need to study the caste structure in Karnataka.