Cong has broken 'Hindutva lab' in the coast: Janardhana Poojary

MANGALORE: An expected win in Congress primaries has given B Janardhana Poojary a new zest. In an interview to TOI, the former KPCC president said his priority will be maintaining peace in the coastal belt. Excerpts:
Winning the primaries was a cakewalk for you. How will you break the BJP's stranglehold over the Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha seat?
Unity will help the Congress break this stranglehold. We have got the results that mattered, as evident from wins that started with urban local body elections.Winning a majority of the ULBs and seven of the eight assembly seats that make up the Lok Sabha constituency are proof. Getting all party leaders to speak in one voice, and collectively taking on the misrule and misdeeds of the BJP, have worked to our advantage.
What's your priority: fighting corruption or maintaining peace in the coastal belt?
Both. Amity is important. There can be no development without amity. Modi and leaders of the RSS have consistently worked to vitiate communal amity - both locally and across the nation. Hatred is not the solution to any problem. I have stressed on this at every public meeting in the past five years.
What is your strategy to break the 'Hindutva Laboratory' that the BJP has turned the coastal districts into?
We have already done that. Our consistent efforts over the past five years, and the people's mandate in shunning the BJP, have amplified that this lab has crumbled. We have opposed such forces and will continue to do so strongly in the future.
What went wrong with your strategy in the past?
Nothing in general. I just got wrapped in the heat of the Ram Mandir movement in 1989 and the Babri Masjid issue. The margin of defeat was not too large, ranging from 6,000 to 40,000 votes. This is not huge in a constituency that has eight assembly segments. Besides, my preoccupation with AICC responsibilities and as KPCC president did not give me enough time for the constituency. I have stopped all needless visits to Delhi and Bangalore and ensured my constituency connect.
What will be the main issues in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections?
Employment generation that will mitigate the need for youth to migrate abroad in search of jobs. Reservation for economically backward people irrespective of their caste and religion - especially the Brahmin and Goud Saraswat Brahmin communities - is something I will raise in the Parliament if the voters bless me.