Completed his matriculation. Has been elected as MP for 8 terms. Served as a Minister of State for Railways, Irrigation and Coal, and as Union Minister for Railways. Age: 76 years; Assets: Rs.16.37 Crores; Criminal Record: Offences under Prevention of Corruption Act.
Q. What are the Top Priorities of your constituency?
Priorities to be power, water, and infrastructure
Q. How would you raise there issues in parliament?
Various methods which is required to be taken up, that is, pressuring the government highlighting the issues. The services of the state on the Floor of the house. and take participate in debates where ever ministry demand comes and highlight the issues and put pressure on the government so that the government concede to your demands. And organize the members of the parliament of the state to put joint efforts to put pressure on government to see that the government concedes to meet our demands and requirements. There may be Constituency right it may have to be district level itself. Then go the individual ministry, ministers, officers we have to build pressure at the every level. Sometime many of us we do not know what are the constituency of the other side of the government so we have to discuss that generally bureaucracy comes up with negative reply. how to convert it into positive is the question which has to be explored and find solution and remedies to that so that we get the benefit.
Q. From your perspective which are the most important issues facing the nation that you intend to raise in parliament?
Those who know the country as a whole I might say people of Bangalore people of the southern part of the country are more fortunate than comparing to the North. We are far better than comparing to the north because people generally doesn’t get an idea what the other side of the picture . I may say to our people known for sobriety and even our administration is ideal administration which has human scope for attracting lot of investment from outside. Otherwise we have not developed as much comparing to the other parts of the country the way we have developed. So, I personally feel our people, the society which has more tolerant which helped us to maintain peace and law and order and also our system of administration, the bureaucratic setup, and the way the confidence is being built up attracting the outside investment is something recently about three four weeks back I read in newspaper one of the United States for want to invest in Bangalore billions and billions of rupees for some projects. That shows in itself the kind of attraction Bangalore has got the investment climate that has been created.
Q. What is the most important contribution you have made to public life?
My important contribution – whatever opportunity I got I have already contributed a lot particularly as minister in charge of railways the connectivity across the country is being given. In addition to that the first dry port was started in Bangalore. The Present Prime minister Dr. Man Mohan Singh as finance minister then started with Bangalore opposite to Sathya Sai Baba Ashram container corporation there, and again first Wheel and Axle Plant in Yelahanka and first of its kind the hanging bridge near to Sarjapur . There is lot of things if I go on elaborating there so many things. Earlier there used to be only one division in Bangalore in southern railway – Mysore division. There were no other division. There used to be a division in south central railway in Hubli. But I added and created Bangalore division separately. So Zonal Railway it was the cabinet paper which I prepared. because elections was so nearer we could not announce. Thereafter Ramvilas Paswan came and he announced. It is cooked food. So like that their was so many, if I narrate the number of measures that I have taken. Electrification to Bangalore, It is I who did it. Today the electric trains are running about and Singapore Technology Park. It is I who Initiated and brought that Singapore technology park. You name that , I think it’s a volume… I can give you printed book of all my achievements. it runs into pages.
Q. Could you share with us your most significant failure to date? What have you learned from that experience?
I have not failed, to be very frank to you. I lost my last election in 2004 only by 15,000 not to BJP or anybody it is only our own man, CM Ibrahim contested against me. So thereby it cost only margin of 15,000 which is not technically I might have lost but morally have not lost. That I can say. So the lesson is to how to unite and for me I am not uniting people for the purpose of elections or votes. Unity and solidarity for the people is most important. The secular fabric of our Indian society has to be extended that is important. What we are doing, what we are working, is not for today for our selves for our career but also from the point of view of the future of the country, the future generation. That should be our goal, that’s what I have in mind.
Q. How will you be continuously available and accessible to the residents of your constituency?
Whether am a member of parliament or not my interaction with the people that’s been always there. even as a minister I have not left my habit of going to an ordinary tea shop, sitting with a common man, and having a sip of coffee or tea. I maintain that every time. I don’t remain in an ivory tower. A people’s representative we have to be always all the time among the people. That I maintained, I have cultivated. I am habitually always with the people. so therefore I did not accept any assignment which is out of peoples interaction. Today everybody is aware the both the houses of parliament have their own channels, there is Loka Sabha channel. It keeps on showing. There is Rajya Sabha channel so if anybody whatever they contribute on the floor of the house in the parliament is visible to the people. In addition to that, one of the basic features of this democracy is that very system. Why Gandhiji wanted this kind of democracy that is representative of the people supposed to educate the masses and also get educated by them. So it is constant interaction between people and the people’s representative alone can able to help us and able to deliver goods.
Q. Corruption and terrorism are major concerns, as an MP, What do you think you can do? And what, specifically do you plan to do?
The nation as a whole I would say that we can be very proud of the way the under Dr. Man Mohan Singh government has dealt with take the recent Bombay terror attack. Government has acted very firmly. at this the kind of pressure that the government built on Pakistan which became defensive and the way it is portrayed to the world and government could able to mobilize the world over opinion in favor as a nasty terrorism. That is one of the very significant alone the government played under the leadership of Dr. Man Mohan Singh and Pranab Mukerji and others. World over terrorism is not confined to any particular country. it has become global phenomenon. So globally all the countries are against terrorism, they are fighting, and terrorism is bleeding. As it could be seen from the CNN or BBC Channels it is mostly in Afghanistan Taliban which are creating this menace. And for which about even the American government is giving lot of morals material support to Pakistan to face that challenge. I think that global opinion is against terrorism and India is also a victim of terrorism. I Think it has to be the international community will have to fight together which is fighting and am sure there is a head what Barack Obama has said that focus will be shifted to Afghanistan to contain the terrorism. We are sure that all countries international communities all of us joining together, we can fight terrorism. We can contain that and there is a need for peace and stability all over the country and in every region.
Corruption is a battle which has to be continuously fought. Corruption is something which I might say that Dr Man Mohan Singh a man of his integrity and honesty. There is hardly any scope for anybody. Think, here, as long as people themselves do not make up their mind, as long as there are people who want to give money, there are takers. Corruption at various levels. It has to be fought jointly together. People’s representative and also the people and the system the weakness of the system we have to be eradicated. so it is society will have to be vigilant all the time in addition to the various like Lok Ayukta like vigilance commission lot of things or forums are there which has been created by the government and the constitutional authorities and that it is a continuous battle. It is not just simply wish away at one day at one time.
Q. How will you ensure that money meant for development projects are not misused?
You see that this is here we have to remember Rajiv Gandhi who build up this Panchayat Raj institution. He verified the money with the center groups to the states never used to flow to the grass-root level. so he, to see that the local people at the village level able to look after their own development instated of the money passing through various channels of bureaucracy and there is scope for corruption. So such measures have been taken. It is the people who should be vigilant now. There are checks and balances in the system which always take care. But more than anything else, as long as people should see that they do not corrupt anybody. If as long as people doesn’t corrupt anybody we can able to contain corruption.
Q. What would you do for the current unemployment issues for the youth and what is your stand on moral policing?
You see there is a government has come out with so much of schemes and particularly Dr. Man Mohan Singh’s government has every educated or uneducated youth has given particular ratio of money to be looked after themselves till they get appointment, till they get employment . Whether one is employed or unemployed everybody is interested to be taken care. So I don’t think there is anything like unemployment now. Yes unemployment means somebody should get legitimate means of earning which employment. Even they the unemployed is not left behind. he is also been taken care by government. You can’t bring morality by force. It has to come within the society. So am sure some stray incident doesn’t require that kind of brand that our society is bad so there is need of moral police. We are a society which known for more moral and ethical values which is inherent within our system and society and our culture. So I don’t think there is any need to force calling it as a moral police. Morality is very basic character of our Indian society. I don’t think any moral police is required here. We are.. Gandhiji’s truth and non violence is an example. So what more the others can do? Some stray incidents here and there – it happen that need not be glorified and attribute that our society is bad . Our society is very good.
Q. What is your message to the people of your constituency?
Whatever is my contribution in the last 30 years, people gave me the opportunity. I have in return I have given something to them, to the over all development of the country, economic development. The basic infrastructure needed for the economic development of the country at every level I have given. If one more opportunity get I am sure I will be able to do more as I said earlier I see that Power, Water and Infrastructure is a must for which I endeavor myself to meet those requirements. In addition to that many area are there many things are there which we have to do so that we can be able to attract more investment in Karnataka in Bangalore so that we can generate more employment give more opportunity. Today in a global economy and global opportunities, we should see the opportunities globally and India has attracted, particularly Bangalore has attracted, every world leader. There is not a single country or its a prime minister or President who has not visited Bangalore. I am happy that IT/BT during Krishna’s Time which got so much of boost has attracted the world attention and Bangalore has now attracted the global attention for which we should thank Mr. Narayan Murthy, Azim Premji of Wipro and many others those who have developed Bangalore to this great heights.
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