Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (DV)

Mangaluru, Mar 8: As Assembly elections are nearing, political parties are busy identifying winning candidates from various constituencies and in throwing them into the electoral fray. In the district too, major political parties Congress and BJP are striving hard to put their best candidate in the electoral ring in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

In Dakshina Kannada for the Congress, winning the Mangaluru South constituency has become a great tussle, as coastal areas, in general, are termed as the laboratory of Hindutva. The BJP was successful in winning many constituencies in the last elections in the name of Hindutva.

Former Congress MLA J R Lobo was successful in winning from Mangaluru South constituency in 2013. In 2018, he lost due to political polarisation arising due to Hindutva and alleged rumours.

J R Lobo who is an experienced bureaucrat turned politician is one of the aspirants for the Congress ticket from the Mangaluru South constituency. In a special interview on Daijiworld 24x7's countdown programme hosted by Chethan Shetty, Lobo openly shared his views on being a Congress ticket aspirant for the Mangaluru seat.

DW: As Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections are supposed to be held in a few days, how are your preparations going on?
Lobo: Preparations are going on as usual.

DW: Haven't you started the campaign? In the sense of working in the constituency ahead of elections?
Lobo: Field means being with people and party workers. There are no special preparations. In the past, I was with the people, and even in the future, I will stand by them.

DW: Has Congress decided that J R Lobo will be the party's candidate for the forthcoming polls?
Lobo: Congress will never reveal that ticket is for so and so. But, the party asks the aspirants to make their preparations for elections. The name of the candidate will become public once the party announces it officially.

DW: Are you one of the aspirants from Congress to contest the elections?
Lobo: Yes. I am one of the aspirants to contest the elections.

DW: There are rumours that J R Lobo is willing to be an MLC instead of being a MLA.
Lobo: The party has to decide about this. I cannot decide on this.

DW: Who do you think is your real opponent? Is it the BJP, workers from the party, or anyone from your community?
Lobo: There is no opposition to my candidature from the opposition party or my community. BJP is an opposition party and there is competition. So, there is no special thing in this.

DW: Yes, of course, there is competition from the BJP, as it is an opposition party. But, do have opposition within the party?
Lobo: There is no opposition within the party. There will be aspirants for the ticket within the party or even outside the party. The aspiration to become a MLA or MLC is not wrong. Anyone can be an aspirant to get the party ticket. So, they cannot be considered opponents. After the party provides the party ticket, all the aspirants will work together for the victory of the candidate selected by the party.

DW: There is no unity among yourselves. Those aspirants who miss the ticket will work against the candidate who is officially announced by the party. Will it be the reason for the official candidate to lose the election?
Lobo: Definitely, there are no such things within our party. There is opposition from BJP or other parties.

DW: Do you think that the party workers within the party are united? After the party officially announces the ticket, do you think each one will go ahead to ensure the victory of the party’s official candidate unitedly?
Lobo: Definitely, yes.

DW: Do you think that the same happened in the previous assembly elections?
Lobo: As per my knowledge everything that took place was so.

DW: There is a claim that J R Lobo was a government official, who became a politician. As he was not into politics initially, he is not so experienced in politics. So will these allegations work against you in the elections?
Lobo: This is an elaborate question. What is politics? According to your vision, what is politics? Abusing a person, insulting them, or pulling someone's leg is that politics? Politics means the governance of the nation and state. Politics means the right administration. There may be many political parties. Each political party has certain ideologies. On the basis of their ideology, political parties will fight elections, and once they win the elections, the state will be administered as per their ideology. This is politics. Abusing someone's, pulling leg is not politics.

DW: As per you, is the democratic set-up focused on people-oriented administration in politics?
Lobo: Definitely yes. There are certain philosophies given by Greek scholars on politics. In their works, they have stated how a state should be ruled.

DW: Do you think that going by these philosophies is administration possible at present?
Lobo: Now the administration is carried out on the principle of 'divide and rule'. It was in the past too. Even the British ruled us in the same manner. By facing these challenges, we should overcome this.

DW: Why did you get face a defeat in the last assembly elections?
Lobo: People expected a change. They never considered the development that took place during my reign. They went on emotions. The opposition BJP had done politics on the basis of religious polarisation. They sought votes on the basis of Hindutva. Now people have become aware of it. Hindutva is not wrong. Hindutva means treating everyone equally. The development of society is the base of religion.

DW: Frankly speaking, how is your association with Congress leader Ivan D'Souza?
Lobo: We have a good association. We work together. But, BJP is intentionally trying to divide us. Even the media has become its victim.


Watch full interview here: