Absence of Congress ‘trimurtis’ from active politics leads to vacuum in coastal Karnataka

Focus Canara

The ‘Next CM’ debate in the Congress circle has left the party leaders of the Coastal belt confused.
While the Congress leaders are competing for the CM post if the party comes to power in the next election, the leaders in the Coastal belt are, for the first time, in a confused state.

The factionalism or groupism in the state Congress never hit the Coastal belt as the leaders here blindly followed Veerappa Moily, Janardhan Poojary, and Oscar Fernandes.

The three leaders known for being confidants of the Gandhi-Nehru family shielded the local leaders. But with all the three moving backstage the local leaders do not know how to handle this situation as the politics in the hinterland is completely different from that of the coastal belt.

While Moily made his name in state politics and was elevated to the post of Chief Minister in 1992, Poojary entered Parliament in the 1977 election and was elevated to Central Minister (Minister of State for Finance and later Panchayat Raj) in Indira and Rajiv Gandhi rule. Oscar Fernandes won Udupi for more than one and half decades for the party. He continued to be considered a close leader to the Rajiv-Sonia team. Even after he lost the Lok Sabha election, he continued in the Upper house and was elevated to the Cabinet in the Manmohan Singh government.

Congress and Coastal Karnataka always had a close link. From Pre Independent India, the top leaders of Congress had a close bond with Coastal Karnataka. Leaders from Coastal Karnataka were always in the key position of the Congress party. However this link between the High Command and the Coastal Karnataka has been disconnected after the trinities- Janardhan Poojary, Veerappa Moily, and Oscar Fernandes went backstage owing to health reasons.

Five leaders from undivided Dakshina Kannada district were part of the Constituent Assembly and played a key role in penning down the Constitution.

One among the five, Ullal Srinivas Mallya who was also the Members of Parliament from the South Canara (North) constituency enjoyed a close association with the Nehru-Shastri team.

He ensured many projects like airport, port, Mangaluru-Bengaluru railway, National Highway, NITK (former KREC) was established in Dakshina Kannada in the 1960s.

The 1970s saw the political birth of three young leaders who in the days to come would not only carve a name in state and national politics but also would be part of the Indira-Rajiv family.

M Veerappa Moily was the first to show his ability by winning the Karkala assembly seat. He also entered the cabinet as Minister of Small Scale Industries.

Within few years Moily’s Lawyer friend B Janardhan Poojary enter politics followed by Oscar Fernandes.

The popular belief among the Congress workers right from Panchayat to the assembly segment was that they could get their work done if they were in the good books of the trio. The three leaders were instrumental in putting the local voices in the ears of the High Command and High Command’s instructions to the local leaders.

While Moily made his name in state politics and was elevated to the post of Chief Minister in 1992, Poojary entered Parliament in the 1977 election and was elevated to Central Minister (Minister of State for Finance and later Panchayat Raj) in Indira and Rajiv Gandhi rule. His active role in loan mela (Sala Mela) made him a household name.

Meanwhile, he also moved close to the Gandhi family. Even after he lost elections, Poojary was given party positions including AICC General Secretary and KPCC Chief post. He was also appointed a Rajya Sabha member.

Amidst this Oscar Fernandes won Udupi for more than one and half decades for the party. He continued to be considered a close leader to the Rajiv-Sonia team. Even after he lost the Lok Sabha election, he continued in the Upper house and was elevated to the Cabinet in the Manmohan Singh government.

All three leaders held the responsible position in AICC and CWC- the main policy-making bodies of Congress. They had a say in the party politics and enjoyed a close association with the party High Command.

The popular belief among the Congress workers right from Panchayat to the assembly segment was that they could get their work done if they were in the good books of the trio. The three leaders were instrumental in putting the local voices in the ears of the High Command and High Command’s instructions to the local leaders.

While Poojary was the first to go backstage due to health issues and age, Oscar followed him. Though Moily still holds party responsibility, he is concentrating on the Bengaluru-Chikkaballapur-Kolar region than the coastal belt.

The exit of the three leaders from the active politics of the region has resulted in a large vacuum in the Coastal belt.

“All the MLAs and even the local ministers used to reach High Command through Oscar, Moily, or Poojary as the three from the region had direct contact with the High Command. The coastal leaders were therefore more powerful in the party. Even the Chief Ministers and other leaders of hinterland would fear our leaders,” a party office-bearer says.

But the way in which the Covid was handled by the Yediyurappa government and the unfulfilled promises has left many unhappy. However, Congress is finding it difficult to encash it in the absence of a strong leader in the Coastal belt.

“There is no leader from the Coastal district in the Congress who has close proximity with the Congress High Command now. There are a few able young leaders in Udupi and DK but the party has failed to identify and groom them. While BJP ensured it always had a second line of leadership, our people completely neglected it. The link between the High Command and Coastal Karnataka is now lost,” he said.

As a result the Congress leaders in the Coastal belt now have to depend on the ‘leaders,’ of Bengaluru.

Party workers believe this can damage the prospects of the party in the region. On one side the party is not in power. In addition to this, there is no strong leader.

“While earlier our leaders would help others to reach the High Command, now our people have to depend on state leaders. While the party has lost to BJP in the region, the absence of strong leadership in the Coastal belt is visible within the party too,” he adds.

The saffron party had received good support in the last assembly election. But the way in which the Covid was handled by the Yediyurappa government and the unfulfilled promises has left many unhappy. However, Congress is finding it difficult to encash it in the absence of a strong leader in the Coastal belt.