Non-performance costs Sadananda Gowda's post
B.ARAVINDA SHETTY
Bengaluru: Nonperformance of Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, D.V. Sadananda Gowda has costs his ministerial post in Narendra Modi Cabinet.
After assessing the performance of his cabinet ministers, Mr. Modi has dropped 12 ministers, including Mr. Sadananda Gowda. Mr. Gowda has failed in the assessment test of Modi conducted recently.
In 2014, Narendra Modi gave much importance to Mr. Gowda, considering his 'clean' image by appointing him as Union Minister for Railways. In the order of seniority, Mr. Gowda was senior to Ananth Kumar in the Cabinet. Later, Mr. Gowda was relieved from the Railway portfolio and appointed as Law and Justice portfolio, later he has been shifted to Statistics and Program Implementation department in the first term of the Modi government. After the demise of Ananth Kumar, Prime Minister has given him additional charge of the Chemicals and Fertilizers portfolio.
However, in the second term, he has been continued in the same portfolio. But his performance was not up to the mark. Recently Mr. Gowda also lost interest in continuing in the Modi cabinet, sources close to him said.
Nonperformance in the government and less contribution to the party organization was the reason for loose his position in the Modi Cabinet. Party workers and leaders have complained about his non-cooperation for strengthening the party in the state. Mr. Gowda is not acceptable in Dakshina Kannada bjp too.
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"Mr. Gowda has not brought any single project to Bengaluru during his stint as the Union Minister. Ananth Kumar was instrumental in implementing Namma Metro, Bengaluru Central MP, P.C. Mohan struggled to bring sub-urban railways, but Gowda has not brought any single project to the city. His continuation in Union cabinet is no use to people of Bengaluru", said bjp senior functionary.
"He has given the false promise of setting up fertilizer factories in Kalaburgi and Bellary. When he was Minister for Railways, promised Kolar district about Railway project, but nothing has been done", BJP senior functionary said.
Mr. Gowda is also inaccessible to party cadres and voters. Hardly few people are coming to his Bengaluru residence to meet him. Distancing himself from party activities and nonperformance in the ministry has irked party central leadership. Even the BJP state unit has also reported to party Central leadership about the non-co-operation of Mr. Gowda in party-related activities.
Another reason for dropping him from the Cabinet was his decision of taking stay order from the local court in Bengaluru. Mr. Gowda obtained an injunction from Bengaluru civil court, preventing news papers and news channels publishing any derogatory articles and video clippings against him. Mr. Gowda stated that his opponents have made fabricated sex CD to defame him. Further he said that inveiw of Union Cabinet expansion, his opponents have trying to unseat him from the Cabinet by circulating fabricated CD to the media, thus he has obtained stay order from the local court. Party central leadership has taken serious note in this case.
BJP sources also said that the party would unlikely give the ticket to him from Bengaluru North in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Political carrier of DVS
Former Chief Minister, Mr. Sadananda Gowda, four-time MP from Karnataka. Sadananda Gowda was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1994 and 1999 from the Puttur Assembly seat in Dakshina Kannada. He became Deputy Leader of the Opposition in his second term as MLA. In the 2008 Assembly elections, he was BJP state President also MP from Mangaluru Lok Sabha constituency. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, he was shifted to the Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha constituency.
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Sadananda Gowda was chosen as the Chief Minister of Karnataka in August 2011 following the resignation of B.S. Yeddyurappa in an illegal mining case. Mr. Yediyurappa named him for the CM post. During the internal poll, Mr. Gowda has secured more votes from Jagadish Shettar, party central leadership appointed him as the CM.
But eleven months of becoming the Chief Minister, he fell out with Yeddyurappa and was unable to unite the party's various factions. In July 2012, he was asked to resign to make way for Jagadish Shettar when dissident activities in the party peaked.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he contested from Bengaluru North and won the elections, become Union minister in Modi cabinet. In 2019 he was reelected from the same constituency, continued as the minister.
