A divided party

The latest round of infighting and personality clashes in the Lok Shakti indicates that Ramakrishna Hegde's presence in Karnataka is essential for its political existence.

PARVATHI MENON
in Bangalore

ON the occasion of his 72nd birthday celebrations on August 28, Union Commerce Minister and former Karnataka Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde likened the two organisations created by him - the "apolitical" Rashtriya Nava Nirmana Vedike and its political offspring, the Lok Shakti - to his two eyes, separate, but with the same vision. The joke doing the rounds in Karnataka is that the two eyes now look in different directions.

Infighting and personality clashes between members of the two organisations have surfaced ever since Hegde assumed ministerial responsibilities in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition Government at the Centre. The Vedike was the first forum set up by Hegde, soon after his expulsion from the Janata Dal in June 1996. The Lok Shakti came into existence in February 1997 as its political wing. A noteworthy feature common to both these organisations is that they were created around the image and persona of Hegde and were political responses by his followers to what was seen as his humiliation at the hands of the Janata Dal in general and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda in particular. Thus, the Lok Shakti was not projected as a political alternative with a credible agenda. The new party had no specific stand on any of the important issues of the day - communalism, economic policy, the policies of the BJP and the Congress(I), the innumerable corruption scandals that were in the news in early 1997. It functioned as a platform from which Hegde directed his ire against the United Front Government and Deve Gowda.

The Lok Shakti was unable to build up a second rung of leadership. Hegde's style of leadership remained indecisive and somewhat whimsical: for example, his sudden decision to join hands with the BJP just prior to the 1998 elections caught even his own party workers by surprise. Nevertheless, the current infighting in the party indicates that his direct leadership is essential for its political existence.

HEGDE'S political fortunes changed when a group of senior Janata Dal leaders who held ministerial berths in J.H. Patel's Government, including R.V. Deshpande, Ramesh Jigajinagi and A.J. Sarnaik, and P. Kodandaramaiah, a sitting Member of Parliament belonging to the Janata Dal, joined his group just prior to the Lok Sabha elections. Hegde thought that this marked the beginning of an influx that he had predicted. However, it was the Vedike and not the Lok Shakti that these leaders joined, a decision they took to avoid being disqualified under the anti-defection Act. Thus, although they resigned from their ministerial positions, technically they continued to belong to the Janata Dal. This was a manoeuvre aimed at changing the balance of power in the ruling Janata Dal by isolating the faction that supported Deve Gowda. If large-scale defections to the Vedike had taken place, the Lok Shakti would have been able to come to power without fresh elections. This, however, did not happen.

The division of Hegde's support base, combined with his absence from the State, led to differences over how the political base of the Vedike and the Lok Shakti should be consolidated and who should assume the responsibility and leadership for this. The Vedike has within its fold seasoned politicians such as Deshpande, who are keen on resuming positions of power after the next elections. The Lok Shakti, for its part, is headed by Jeevaraj Alva, who has made it clear that he will brook no challenge to his authority.

Deshpande, the convener of the Vedike, told Frontline: "I came out of office for the sake of Ramakrishna Hegde. I neither had any differences with J.H. Patel nor did any Opposition party member ask for my resignation. I am a politician and not a sanyasi. I have been in office since 1983 in one capacity or another and intend returning to active politics." The Vedike, which appears to have decided that it is time for it to assert itself, is organising mass campaigns. On September 14 it organised a 'rail roko' in Hubli to highlight around 20 demands pertaining to the State's development. It was successful insofar as around 25,000 people participated in it. Deshpande said: "When you are in the Opposition, you have to go to the people. We are organising a similar programme in Bidar on October 14, after which we will organise another one in Mysore."

T.L. PRABHAKAR
Lok Shakti leader Ramakrishna Hegde.

Although Deshpande sought to play down his differences with Alva, there is little doubt that resentment against Alva runs deep. V.S. Ugrappa, general secretary and official spokesperson of the Vedike, told Frontline: "We came out of the Janata Dal because we opposed Deve Gowda's dictatorial tendencies. We now find that Alva is the other face of the same coin. We believed that the Lok Shakti would develop as an alternative to the Janata Dal. However, it has failed to emerge as a strong force owing to a lack of vision."

There is no doubt that the Lok Shakti's credibility and strength went up considerably after the Deshpande group extended its support. It won three Lok Sabha seats as an ally of the BJP. According to Ugrappa, the Lok Shakti has a base waiting to be activated. "We have eight MLAs and eight MLCs who are sympathetic to us, a Rajya Sabha member and three MPs with us, besides 60 to 70 former MLAs, MLCs and others. This base must be built upon."

The recent expulsion of B. Sripathy Rao from the post of the Lok Shakti's press secretary by Jeevaraj Alva created resentment in the party. Sripathy Rao alleged that this was another instance of Alva's systematic attempt to keep out of the party persons he saw as a threat to his leadership.

Alva's supporters, however, disagree. B.J. Puttaswamy, a former MLC and State secretary of the Lok Shakti, told Frontline: "Rao lost the confidence of the president because of his non-cooperation. As far as we are concerned, there are no differences between us and the Vedike. The differences are a creation of the media."

However, the one thing that members of both the organisations appear to agree upon is the need for Hegde's presence in Karnataka. Sripathy Rao told Frontline: "All the parties in Karnataka are in disarray. This is the time for Hegde to come to Karnataka and take over the leadership of the party. If Hegde resigns from the Centre to work for the party, we will sweep the next elections." Ugrappa pointed out that when Deve Gowda was Prime Minister, he visited Karnataka "28 times in 11 months in order to keep in touch with his political base". According to Deshpande, the Lok Shakti is Ramakrishna Hegde and Ramakrishna Hegde is the Lok Shakti. "The party depends on his charisma and he has to build up its programmes and cadres."

MEANWHILE, the ties between the Lok Shakti and the BJP, which were not very cordial in the best of times, have virtually snapped. Hegde's decision to go with the BJP before the elections was not received with enthusiasm either by the party rank and file or by the Janata Dal leaders who joined his camp. According to Deshpande, the Lok Shakti and the BJP have not shared a platform during the last seven months.

In a recent statement, K.S. Easwa-rappa, leader of the BJP Legislature Party and former State president of the party, was non-committal about an alliance with the Lok Shakti in the next Assembly elections, which is 14 months away. He said that his party was preparing to "go it alone" if it had to.

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