Congress worked unitedly to win by-poll: Jayaprakash Hegde

The new MP from Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha constituency, K Jayaprakash Hegde, has the rare distinction of entering the Lok Sabha right in the middle of the budget session, after winning the by-election.  Hegde spoke to DNA  before leaving for Delhi.

Q: You have broken the years of hegemony of the BJP in the coastal as well as the Malnad region. Was it a victory of the party, ideology or that of Jayaprakash Hegde as an individual?
A: I did not have to try hard individually to galvanise the support into votes, that job was done by my party leaders and workers, who have worked as one unit. It is the first election in many years wherein our top leaders guided the workers by camping in the constituency. As far as the hegemony goes, I do not think that BJP had a very large support base in this constituency. It was an artificial support that it enjoyed for more than three terms in Chikmagalur and in Udupi.

Q: What do you consider the immediate task that awaits you as a MP of the region that is on the high-growth phase?
A: The Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency is witnessing slow development. Its former MP DV Sadananda Gowda had been held back with his party politics. It was also a drawback to have a chief minister as the MP for six long months. In this period, the constituency lost many opportunities, including railway connectivity, road development and irrigation programmes. My first task is to reawaken the provisions in the railway budget outlaid for carrying out a survey to connect Padubidri-Moodbidri-Karkala-Chikmagalur-Birur sector, which will open another route to port connectivity. I shall meet minister of state for railways KH Muniyappa and try to impress on him to get assent from the ministry for the survey. The National Highway widening (No 66), which was under way, can be better and I have gathered the views of few experts, which I shall put across to the minister.

Q: Is there a plan for improving the income levels of the people in your constituency?
A: My constituency has a large potential for developing tourism as one of the income-generating activities. On one side, the constituency has lofty Western Ghats and on the other, it has sylvan beaches. There are many religious tourism centres on the coastal side and a developing farm and estate tourism in the Ghat region. The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification has been an impediment in developing coastal tourism in the state. Udupi constituency has about 60 km of coast, which can be developed for beach tourism. I will explore the possibilities of relaxing the CRZ norms to some extent with the central authority for CRZ.

Q: You have campaigned extensively in the constituency during the elections. Now that you have become an MP, will the people see you again?
A: In the next two years, you will see that I will continue the campaign on a different level. I shall visit clusters of grama panchayats and have meetings with the local leaders and talk to them about the micro-level problems, which does not come to the surface through the regular official route. Many times, their needs are nipped by the officials and the local politicians. I shall be a bridge to the people in bringing the government programmes to them directly.