Wary of JD(S)'s father-son image, Vishwanath moots for reform

From foes to friends - Vishwanath doles out pearls of wisdom to JD(S). Adagur H Vishwanath, who is all set to join the JD(S) in June, feels that the regional party could fare better if it sheds the ‘father-son’ and the ‘caste’ tag. It should also “think universally, and act locally” if it wants to win the hearts of the electorate, he said. 

Speaking to Asianet Newsable, Vishwanath, who has been with the Congress for 40 years, hopes that his new party would at least give some serious thoughts towards renewing its dented image. He said that though the JD(S) had earned the above-said reputation several years ago, it was still stuck with it. 

“The father-son; and the caste tags have to be removed, if the party wants to move in the right direction. But, this cannot be done by one person. The party should interact with visionaries and people with political ideologies. The ‘actuals’ and the ‘factuals’ have to be discussed at length. Subsequently, political theories have to be translated to field work. If the party adopts this new approach, then good results are guaranteed,” he added.

He said that after joining the JD(S), he would make an attempt at changing the direction of the party, taking all its leaders into confidence. “JD(S) is a local provincial party - it must think universally and act locally. It’s all in the mindset of the party, whether it wants to succeed or not. I am joining this party with a positive mindset,” he added.

When asked whether he was apprehensive of being accepted by the party fold in its entirety, Vishwanath said that he hoped and believed so. “Belief is God - that’s been my philosophy. After having been extremely loyal to the Congress over all these years, I am being made to exit it because of the same man who I brought in,” he said, referring to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Vishwanath said that he was “agonised” by the fact that he has to quit the Congress. “Indira Gandhi’s pro-development and pro-poor policies and programmes were such an inspiration that I went to the extent of naming my first born after her,” he said.

Vishwanath, who earlier had never lost an opportunity to criticise the JD(S) and its leadership, now however has some kind words to speak about H D Deve Gowda and his son H D Kumaraswamy. “Deve Gowda who never had access to good education like S M Krishna, through his sheer willpower reached the highest levels and became the prime minister. Despite the criticisms he has attracted, his commitment to the party and people is commendable,” he said. He also said that Kumaraswamy too was a committed leader, who was “moving with commoners with sincerity and integrity”.  

While the JD(S) was being kind to him, what was he bringing to the table in return? To this, Vishwanath said that he would help the party give an image to politics, by empowering the labour community and the youth and women’s wing of the JD(S). He also said that he would bring many others from the Congress to the JD(S). “Several field workers will join the JD(S) alongside me. I am opposed to big leaders.  Field workers from Mysuru, Mandya, Kodagu, Koppal and Raichur will be joining the party,” he added.
Vishwanath is still officially with the Congress - he is yet to resign from primary membership of the party.

• Adagur H Vishwanath
• JD(S)
• Siddaramaiah
• father-son tag