Should an “outsider” represent us, is a question that dogs linguistically resurgent Karnataka whenever a Rajya Sabha election is round the corner. Should a Telugu (Venkaiah Naidu) represent Karnataka? Should a Malayalee (Rajeev Chandrasekhar) represent Karnataka? Should a Sindhi (Ram Jethmalani) represent Karnataka?
But should a Kannadiga represent Bihar?
That’s exactly what the promoter of Bangalore’s Garuda Mall, B.G. Uday alias Uday Garudachar, is seeking to do by throwing his hat into the Rajya Sabha ring from the State. Bihar has five vacant seats and Uday, son of former Bangalore police chief B.N. Garudachar, has entered the fray as an “independent” candidate.
“Bihar is a part of my great country. I thought the state apt for making my political debut in electoral politics,” Uday has said in an interview. He says he he was swayed by the fact that Bihar was a state badly in need of investment and that his election would helps its cause. “Even Gandhiji started his struggle from here.”
Uday’s nomination was proposed by ten MLAs, including three Congress MLAs, and the independent MLA man who pushed his nomination has been quoted as saying the “great entrepreneur” will bring investments to his State. Already there are reports indicate that independent and BSP MLAs may have fallen “prey” to the lure of the “behind the scene promise of lucre” from the rich trader.
Uday, who counts the filmstar politician Ambarish among his partners, declared assets of Rs 20 crore at the time of filing nominations, which was accompanied by considerable drama. He flew to Patna in a chartered plane and two SUVs were used to block his entry into the Bihar Assembly to file his nomintion papers which were delivered to him at the last minute by a scooter.
Question: If it is not OK for “outsiders” to stand from Karnataka, is it OK for an “outsider” to stand from Bihar? And is Bihar’s development really the reason for Uday Garudachar to stand fromthat State?
Tags: Ambarish, B.G. Uday, Churumuri, Gandhiji, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Rajya Sabha, Ram Jethmalani, Sans Serif, Uday Garudachar, Venkaiah Naidu
14 June 2010 at 4:43 pm
Rajeev Chandrasekhar an outsider to Karnataka ?
How does Rajeev Chandrashekar, who has lived in Karnataka for close to three decades; who has built a business empire that employed thousands of Kannadigas termed as outsider in Karnataka ?
A Karnataka Government Order, post Sarojini Mahishi Commission, set up to study employment opportunities for Kannadigas in central government and public sector establishments, says anybody who had resided in Karnataka for more than 15 years and were acquainted with the language were Kannadigas. If Rajeev was put through this stringent test of domicile, he would still be considered an “insider”.
Therefore, it is incorrect to name Rajeev along with the two other gentlemen you named – Naidu and Jethmalani.
Going by your definition of “outsider”, it would mean that Sonia Gandhi is an outsider to India ! Which is ofcourse totally incorrect. Right ?
Is Uday Garudachar an outsider to Bihar ? Well, you may have a point there…
14 June 2010 at 6:47 pm
Accept it people, Rajeev Chandrashekar is a nammava! Can’t you see his apathy towards Bangalore’s trees just like the rest of the local politicians?
At least his participation in flood relief activities was visible, why do we need gentlemen like Vijay Mallya and now this maverick chap?
Hope people of Bihar know how to get work done by him, if he wins. Or is he also diversifying into mines and all?
14 June 2010 at 6:57 pm
the essential difference between rajeev and uday is that rajeev has stayed in karnataka and done business here for decades, and therefore becomes an insider, while uday has just stepped into to bihar and is only promising investment there, therefore an outsider. this anand is a born again ‘chaddi’, why should he harp on sonia. the bjp too has given up that line. she too had lived in india and made a family before she came to public life.
14 June 2010 at 7:14 pm
Get rid of Rajyasabha. It’s just a cozy haven for rich old people.
14 June 2010 at 7:21 pm
yeesh, outsider-insider nonsense, long after the Supreme Court has said our Constitution permits anyone to represent any state in the Rajya Sabha. It’s not like any of the elected will deviate in any way from the established party line, so they are all interchangeable faces and names anyway.
Considering that we don’t even have a say in the Rajya Sabha elections, this is so much unnecessary hot air over next to nothing.
14 June 2010 at 7:26 pm
George Fernandez,perhaps the 1st kannadiga to contest from Bihar and win.
14 June 2010 at 7:35 pm
if wishes were horses….
14 June 2010 at 7:42 pm
We can send Devegowda to Bihar!!! Any takers???
14 June 2010 at 9:17 pm
Whoa ! Anand you dare not take the Tyag Maatha’s name in Vain. You will burn in a hell the sychophants will create for you.
14 June 2010 at 10:38 pm
churmuri,
Have you conveniently forgotten to add Should a (kannada :-)Jairam Ramesh represent AP or, is that out of context here?
15 June 2010 at 9:55 am
Going by your definition of “outsider”, it would mean that Sonia Gandhi is an outsider to India ! Which is ofcourse totally incorrect. Right ?
@Armugam: Read properly before commenting!
15 June 2010 at 10:38 am
Hope all his future projects are in Bihar. We will not have controversial Garuda Mall of Bangalore and even more controversial Garuda Mall of Mysore. He is good at violating/encroachment (like most of the realtors) and Bihar may be the right place for him. Hope we send more realtors from Bangalore to Bihar, Jharkhand or Thar so that…
15 June 2010 at 11:48 am
Usually there’s not much use getting into the grammar of a post or a poll where only a binary decision is expected from the audience.
But here the poll seems to be clearly asking “Should a Kannadiga represent a State other than Karnataka?” – which is begging to ask “Is every Kannadiga born (with a political blood) and brought up only to represent another State?”
Well I’d definitely say “definitely NO”. Kannadigas need not represent other States, but of course they’re not prevented from doing so. Karnataka already is in dire need for good politicians who can tear open their chests to show they have Karnataka in their hearts. (Symbolically, of course.) The problem Karnataka is facing though, is its politicians today can neither tear open their chests for Karnataka, nor do we find Karnataka in their hearts even when they happen to open their chests! In this situation when a man cant love his own people and his own state as much as he should how can a people of another State even expect constructive anything from him? People need to be educated what they must expect from their representatives.
Whether the people with Karnataka domicile look upon Rajeev (or whoever Churumuri has enumerated here) as their representative or as a pure businessman is an open point for people to comment/vote upon, and also for elected representatives of Bihar to reflect upon before taking the plunge to support Uday’s candidature there.
Mr Rajeev, seldom seen even during occasions when issues relevant to Karnataka and its people are sounding loudspeakers out in the public, is perhaps doing what he’s good at – ensuring his investments return higher returns, and perhaps do good to strengthen the economy. But why does such investment need the public-representative tag – that too a representation of people he doesn’t really belong to? Why not seek representation in Kerala itself if representation is indeed Mr Rajeev’s hobby! Why play a role that is outside of your own Dharma? Mr Uday’s candidature begs the same question with respect to Bihar.
15 June 2010 at 10:32 pm
Should the rajya sabha be abolished?
16 June 2010 at 8:53 am
avaru bihar inda aayke aadre, bihar rajyakke, biharigalige olledaago kelsa maadali. bihar inda aayke yaagi karnatakada paravaagi maatadodu beda. adu tappagutte.
16 June 2010 at 10:57 am
Why we Indians are not united? Always we fight over language/state. All are Indians after all. Everyone has got rights/freedom to contest from any part of India.
16 June 2010 at 4:32 pm
@Niaz Ahmed
Dude, since when did George Fernandes become a Kannadiga? Do you know if he even speaks Kannada? Since he was born in Karnataka does not mean that he is a Kannadiga.
16 June 2010 at 6:48 pm
Jai,
George Fernandes is very much a kannadiga. He can speak Kannada very fluenlty, besides speaking konkani,marthi,english and hindi.
1 April 2011 at 3:07 pm
George fernandeez a kannadiga representd Bihar in Parliament .
15 April 2013 at 2:51 pm
This man has also ensured the following:
1. Rendering homeless 4000 people evicted from the Ejipura shanty town.
2. Loss of an academic year for hundreds of students whose books were destroyed by bulldozers while they mercilessly destroyed the meager belongings of the slum dwellers
3. Ensured the old people, pregnant women, lactating mothers, infants and countless teenage children were out on the streets, homeless, and vulnerable to abuse.
4. Ensured that the people evicted had no access to food, water and sanitary facilities.
5. Ensured that hundreds of cats and dogs were crushed alive under bulldozers. All of these animals were pets of the people living there.
Do not believe me? do drive past Ejipura near the NGV and see for yourself the gross human right violations thanks to this man. Even Amnesty International has asked for an explanation.