something more on Mr Devegowda

Something more on Mr Devegowda.
HUBLI, 26th Jan 2006
Mr Devegowda has been one politician in Karnataka, who has been thoroughly underestimated. While Karnataka politicians like Mr. Ramakrishna Hegde, Mr. S R Bommai who were his onetime colleagues, had had to pay the price for underestimating the capacity of Mr. Devegowda, it has been the turn of the national leadership of Congress to experience the same now to their chagrin. By one stroke of pen, he has the made the mighty Congress come on bent knees with no avail. Perhaps it is a sweet revenge for him, who had lost the Prime Ministership mainly because Congress ditched him.
Unlike others, Mr. Devegowda is a 24x7 politician. He has no other passion other than politics. He lives and breathes politics all the time. He is busy plotting the moves to ensure the downfall of his adversaries. His elephantine memory makes him remember vividly even the slightest of the humiliation done to him by others. He makes it a point to repay the same in good measure at the opportune time.
The nation they say, has neither permanent friends, nor foes but permanent interests. This can be adapted in the case of Mr. Devegowda also. He has no permanent friends or enemies in politics but only permanent interest of garnering power for himself or the family.
He is good at sporting a poker face. It is very difficult to read his mind. And he hardly means whatever he says. If you take him on the face value, the mistake is yours and not his. He has a habit of talking in riddles, and in the speeches and press conferences also, he would abruptly change the subject, leaving something half said.
His long political innings is replete with occasions, where he has backstabbed his own colleagues and supporters. When he tried to backstab Congress by raking up some cases against the then Party President, Sitaram Kesari, that the latter hit back by withdrawing the support to the UDF government.
His another interesting trait has been that he is pitable when out of power and insufferable when in power. For the sake of power, he can befriend anybody and also throw out anybody once the political utility is over.
In the instant case, he befriended his betenoire Congress in Karnataka to form the coalition government despite the humiliation the latter had heaped on him in 1997. The combination was against the mandate of the people. Having got the benefit of the anti Congress vote, Mr. Devegowda had no compunction in joining the Congress for the sake of power.
This was for the single point purpose of staging political comeback in Karnataka politics. And that he has achieved it by securing the Chief Ministership for his son Mr Kumaraswamy. All the while he has taken care to see hide his real intentions. The emotional drama that he has played over the “rebellion” of his son might have fooled the uninitiated but not the old political hands, who had been studying him. It was an act of brinkmanship. For the public consumption, he appears to be a champion of secularism, who disapproved the action of his son in befriending BJP and for reaffirming his commitment to secularism. But in practice, he has blessed the political adventurism of his, praised him for “saving the party” and achieved the objective of making his son as the Chief Minister of Karnataka. One may also note that the party declined to take any disciplinary action against his son while Siddaramaiah has handled roughly. And the party did not also issue a whip on voting on the confidence. He had scripted the political drama of the ascension of the power carefully. That is Mr. Devegowda. For heavens sake don’t underestimate him..
==================0000000000000000000==================