Ups and downs in the political journey of Karnataka’s Rebel Star

coastaldigest.com news network

November 25, 2018

Bengaluru, Nov 25: ‘Rebel Star’ Ambareesh, who was undoubtedly Kannada cinema’s most popular actor after Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan, was also the only one, of the three, who took a successful shot at electoral politics.

Unlike his two senior colleagues, who thought of themselves as middle-class role models, Ambareesh lived it up in full public view, making no secret of his love of flamboyance---and that included horse racing.

A ‘rebel star’ in politics

“I have the capacity to get 5% votes in all of Karnataka, not just in Mandya. But I’m already 66 and I can’t work for another five years. I’m not like HD Deve Gowda who is in Kanyakumari one day, Delhi the next day and then Raichur.”

This was a news conference Ambareesh addressed just before the 2018 Assembly election to announce his retirement from electoral politics. The Congress went on to lose the Mandya assembly constituency after the party chose not to field him.

Ambareesh, a Vokkaliga, was at the peak of his film career when Deve Gowda launched him politically. It was the byelections to the Ramanagara Assembly segment in 1996, which Deve Gowda vacated after he became prime minister. Ambareesh fought that election on a Janata Dal ticket and lost to Congress’ CM Lingappa. Still, Ambareesh had arrived.

He joined the Congress in 1999 and has fought five elections since. Ambareesh went on to get elected to the Lok Sabha several times and was a Union minister in the Manmohan Singh government. True to his ‘Rebel Star’ moniker, Ambareesh resigned in 2007 in solidarity with the farmers of his Mandya constituency over the Cauvery water dispute. He had similarly resigned as MP in 2002, again on the Cauvery issue.

Ambareesh was the Housing minister in the previous Siddaramaiah-led Congress government. When he was dropped from the Cabinet in 2016 for poor performance, a miffed Ambareesh resigned.

Ambareesh considered himself a force to reckon with in the Vokkaliga heartland of Mandya. So did the Congress. However, his poor health forced him to stay away from politics for the past several months. “You think I can’t influence an election sitting at home,” he had asked, in his inimitable slapstick humour.

At one point, Ambareesh was touted as a chief ministerial candidate. “I’ve been a chief ministerial candidate for 15 years,” Ambareesh said in February this year. “I won’t say no if the opportunity comes my way. But it’s not god to have any hopes, because you get hurt when they get dashed.”

A brief record of electoral politics

1996 - Contests Ramanagar Assembly bypoll on Janata Dal ticket, loses.

1998 - Contests Mandya Lok Sabha election on Janata Dal ticket, wins.

1999 - Contests Mandya Lok Sabha election on Congress ticket, wins.

2004 - Contests Mandya Lok Sabha election on Congress ticket, wins.

2008 - Contests Srirangapatna Assembly election on Congress ticket, loses.

2009 - Contests Mandya Lok Sabha election on Congress ticket, loses.

2013 - Contests Mandya Assembly election on Congress ticket, wins.

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JD(S) leader G T Devegowda backs CM Siddaramaiah in MUDA row, taunts HDK

News Network

October 4,2024

Mysuru: Chairman of JD(S) core committee and Chamundeshwari constituency MLA G T Devegowda on Thursday expressed his solidarity with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah saying the latter need not resign, while lambasting leaders of his own party and alliance partner BJP, including Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy.

In his speech during Mysuru Dasara inauguration he said that if persons against whom FIR is registered have to resign, many leaders from all the three parties, including Opposition Leader R Ashoka, will have to resign.

“All are sitting in glass houses... Since I know Siddaramaiah well, I am talking about him. At a time when mines and real estate are ruling politics, Siddaramaiah has survived in politics. He has never done any favour,” Devegowda said.

He added, “Allegations against Siddaramaiah are unexpected and accidental. If the Governor and Chief Justice order an investigation, it does not mean that he should resign."

He continued, asking, "Have they told Siddaramaiah to resign or have they asked to imprison him? When a person becomes a Central minister, he or she should realise their dignity and responsibility. Instead of recognising the good work done by Siddaramaiah, they ask him to resign. Will Kumarswamy (facing an FIR) resign? Should Siddaramaiah, who has become CM with a support of 135 MLAs, resign?"

"Opposition leaders are not remembering the good work of earlier CMs Kengal Hanumanthaiah, Veerendra Patil, Ramakrishna Hegde, H D Deve Gowda or S M Krishna. Karnataka is a model state. It is a bad trend to topple an elected government which is doing good work,” he further said.

Devegowda added, “Siddaramaiah is Goddess Chamundeshwari’s ‘Varaputra’ and hence has her blessings during tough times. He won the election in Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency, when the BJP-JD(S) government was in power in 2006. With the blessings of the Goddess, he has held varied positions right from becoming an MLA for the first time in 1983. He presented 15 budgets and has become CM for a second time. He took H C Mahadevappa, a Dalit leader to the state level. Siddaramaiah has the support of Deputy CM D K Shivakumar as ‘Jodeththu’. Blessings of the beneficiaries of guarantee schemes are with him (Siddaramaiah).”

Siddaramaiah said, “Devegowda was a MUDA member. He knows the truth. Hence, he is saying this. His words have filled strength in me. ‘Satyameva Jayate’, Truth will always triumph.”

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