Udayavani Interview: Atal Bihari Vajpayee is my role model; Will fight against injustice, says R Ashoka

Team Udayavani, Dec 20, 2023, 12:45 PM IST

Bengaluru: R. Ashoka, the Leader of the Opposition, has asserted his individuality within the party, emphasizing that he, along with fellow leaders Vijayendra and Yediyurappa, operates with distinct strengths, originality, and backgrounds.

In an exclusive interview with “Udayavani,” Ashoka expressed gratitude for the party’s appointment under the “old root-new shoot” formula, characterizing it as a new opportunity for both leaders.

Q: It is being criticized that you failed in the session you faced for the first time after becoming the leader of the opposition. Do you agree?

Ans: How do you measure failure from a single session? Only a few of BJP’s confusions in the Belgaum session caught the attention of the media. Why are you not presenting the other side of the story? In this session, for 3 hours and 14 minutes, I talked about the drought situation of the state with figures and drew the attention of the government. I have raised my voice firmly when the ideological issues of the party come up. I have brought one issue after another to the fore every day and have put the government in a dilemma. How to write a failure clause without taking all this into account?

Q: There is confusion in the party. Isn’t it true that there are no signs of coming to a halt?

Ans: Yes. There is some confusion. Many aspired for the post of state president and opposition leader. But the superiors have placed expectations on us and given us responsibility. For this reason, some people have felt bad. It will take some time to get out of this mess. But I have the quality and attitude to bring everyone together. I have already spoken to Arvind Bellad in the interest of the party. I will also talk to Yatnal and S.R. Vishwanath. It is not my nature to sideline anyone for politics. I will keep pace with everyone.

Q: Did you expect that you will become the leader of the opposition?

Ans: After the state assembly election results, there were no appointments to strategic positions including the leader of the opposition. To be honest, I wanted the post of state president. I felt this aspiration even among the elders. But the position of the leader of the opposition was not expected. That is unexpected. I was brought up from the “cadre” of the party. The party has given a constitutional responsibility to an ordinary worker. Liability is increased.

Q: The maximum period available to challenge the government in the House is 60 days. But the responsibility is greater outside the House. What is your action plan for this?

Ans: Rarely the session take place for 60 days. At most, the event takes place only for 30 to 40 days in a year. Thus, the responsibility of the opposition leader to fight and tour outside the House is on. That is what people want. The state should go around to give justice to the people. I have made a plan for this. In connection with the case of a woman stripping in Belgavi, the killing of fetus, Malur hostel case, I not only conducted site inspection but also fought. There is no question of sitting idly by when the question of people’s struggle is faced.

Q: When did your protest against injustice start?

Ans: There is no question of when. Every day is a struggle. We are not satisfied with the answer given by the government about the issue of fetal killing. If anything, 4000-5000 female feticide may have taken place in the state in the last few months. The day after the government ordered a CID probe in the upper house, the feticide took place near Hoskote. What does that mean? The government is handing over all the cases to the CID and washing its hands.

Q: You have a soft nature. There is no flamboyance in the use of language. Is it because of this flexibility that you are called an adjustment politician? Or…

Ans: (smiling) Former CMs Ramakrishna Hegde and S.M.Krishna topped the list of ambitious politicians of this state. Both of them were soft-spoken. Even so, They are considered the greatest parliamentarian the country has ever seen. It cannot be agreed that only those with loud voices are great leaders. I will not use the word unparliamentary in or out of the proceedings. Atal Bihari Vajpayee is my role model and I follow his way. The government can be whipped even without an outpouring of words. For this reason, what can I do as an adjustment politician?

Q: DK Shivakumar’s issue was brought up on the last day. Are you unable to take this idea to its logical conclusion?

Ans: On the first day of the session, we asked for an opportunity to discuss the issue of DK Shivakumar, but the speaker behaved in the same way. In the end, we proposed that it would be a mistake not to come to Belgavi and allow discussion on North Karnataka issue. On the same day, the hearing of the application filed by Basanagowda Patil Yatnal in the court was also going on. Above all, there are very few examples where the rules allow the Speaker to discuss cases pending in the court. Therefore, we proposed at the end that the proceedings of the House should not be spoiled unnecessarily. The speaker did not allow discussion. But we will not sit idly by on this issue. We will fight across the state.

Q: Will you gain or lose in the Lok Sabha from the alliance with JDS?

Ans: The alliance will help us in the Lok Sabha elections. There is no antagonism between the BJP and JDS workers at the grassroots level. But Congress-JDS workers are not compatible. So this alliance will benefit us. We will strengthen the organization keeping in view the Lok Sabha elections. I will be touring the state soon.

Q: When will the appointment of office bearers and other posts be made?

Ans: By the next weekend, we will go to Delhi and finalize the list of Upper House Opposition Leader, Deputy Leader, Assembly Deputy Leader, and office bearers. I am confident of taking everyone together.

Q: Don’t you feel that the opportunities to tie the government in the House were wasted?

Ans: No. Tell us what idea we left out? We have fought against everything from attacks on workers to demands for Zameer’s resignation. But this kind of feeling has arisen because the small matters related to the internal affairs of our party have been widely publicized in the media. Sadly, no one has noticed the other side.