By P.T. Bopanna
The Congress candidates A.S. Ponnanna (Virajpet) and Mantar Gowda (Madikeri) created history when they breached the saffron bastion of Kodagu (Coorg) district in Karnataka in the last Assembly polls in 2023.
The time is ripe for a mid-term appraisal of their performance. By their excellent performance, both the MLAs won the hearts of people in the hill district of Kodagu.
When everyone thought the duo were role models for other MLAs in Karnataka, both started straying from their growth path.
Instead of working for the betterment of the district which was long neglected by the BJP MLAs K.G. Bopaiah (Virajpet) and Appachu Ranjan (Madikeri), the present Congress MLAs, got themselves dragged into the ongoing infighting between chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar.
Both of them are lobbying for a Cabinet berth in the proposed reshuffle of the ministry, on the grounds they are first-time MLAs and they should be accommodated in the ministry.
The two Congress MLAs are among the signatories to a memorandum submitted to the party high command to include them in the next reorganization of the ministry.
If Congress decides to change the chief minister and replace Siddaramaiah with Shivakumar (unlikely), then the Virajpet constituency would in all probability will be starved of funds. Presently, Ponnanna being the legal advisor to the chief minister, has been able to get funds released for various ongoing projects.
Ponnanna may argue that he is in the good books of both chief minister and deputy chief minister. But there is no denying the fact that Ponnanna is a blue eyed boy of Siddaramaiah.
The one major blunder committed by Ponnanna was to claim that he was instrumental in solving the decades-old Jamma land tenure problem in Kodagu.
Following the amendment bill passed by the legislature last December, Ponnanna took all the credit and a series of felicitation functions were held in Kodagu.
I know a bit of the history of the Jamma tenure, having been a signatory to a public interest litigation on the issue filed before the Karnataka high court.
Ponnanna’s father firebrand MLC A.K. Subbaiah too claimed way back in 1993 that he had ‘won’ the Jamma case when the full bench of the Karnataka high court had given its ruling. There were also felicitation functions for Subbaiah.
If the late Subbaiah had won the case, why Jamma issue dragged on for so many years since 1993 to 2026?
Bopaiah too was behind a legislation to sort out Jamma issue while he was the Speaker.
In the circumstances, instead of trying to score political points, Bopaiah too should be given credit and all politicians should try to sort out matters. Bopaiah deserves respect, because he has been a leader of long standing who worked for Kodagu.
Present Congress MLAs Ponnanna and Mantar are spending too much time on social media and trying to take credit for routine administrative matters.
By participating in a march sponsored by the Sangh Parivar, Mantar Gowda has come under a cloud. Such vote bank politics will be politically suicidal.
Representing a secular party, the duo must stop their temple-hopping to woo voters.
