‘Secular parties should work out a strategy to prevent vote split’: An interview with A R Puthige

Aysha Tanisha & Sabika Lobo
November 27, 2017

Abdul Rauf Puthige is a quite familiar name in Mangaluru. Son of a doctor-turned-cleric from Puthige locality in the temple town of Moodbidri, the 51-year-old ever-enthusiastic gentleman is a well-established realtor, social worker and philanthropist who gives priority to charity rather than publicity. His sudden entry to politics as the Karnataka state general secretary of Janata Dal (Secular) has raised many eyebrows. Despite being a novice in politics, Mr Puthige has frank and ‘politically correct’ answers for all the questions. Here are a few things that Mr Puthige said in his exclusive interview to coastaldigest.com.

CD: What motivated you to enter politics? Do you fully agree with the policies and principles of JD(S)?

A R Puthige: Today almost every citizen in India feels politics is a dirty pond. But you will never be able to clean the pond merely by calling it dirty. I think if you seriously want to see the pond cleansed, first of all you must enter into it. In my case I don't depend on politics for my bread and butter. I have always believed that for people who want to serve the society and the masses, politics can be a very effective platform. In fact, politics has never been totally alien to me. A good number of my close friends are active in politics either as leaders or as activists at the grass root level. I have good friends in all the prominent political parties. Some of them have been insisting me to join their respective parties. Coming to the second part of your question, yes, I agree fully with the declared policies and principles of my party. 

CD: Do you think JD(S) will make gains in coastal belt of Karnataka by having you as its State General Secretary? 

A R Puthige: Ours is a party with a national vision. Our concern is the welfare of the entire country. Already our party has many senior leaders in coastal belt and a huge number of committed cadre in this region. They are all sincerely striving to strengthen the party in this region. My focus will be on improving the prospects of the party throughout the Karnataka state, which was once ruled by our party. 

CD: What’s your take on the possibilities of split of ‘secular votes’ in Karnataka?

A R Puthige: It is quite obvious that we do not want any division in the secular votes. It is very much possible to work out a strategy to avoid it. JD(S) leaders have always been concerned about it. But then, secularism is not the exclusive domain of any particular party. When there are many secular parties in the fray there will be apprehensions about division of secular votes. Congress too claims to be a secular party. If they are really serious in this claim, they should come forward to shoulder their share of responsibility in this regard. By the way, I look at the situation positively. In my view compared to competitive communalism, competitive secularism is always beneficial to the society. Therefore let there be many secular parties and let all such parties sit together and work out a strategy to ensure that division of secular votes does not benefit communal elements. 

CD: Can a political platform expand your social service activities? 

A R Puthige: If you are talking about Talent Research Foundation (TRF), an NGO launched in 2005 by myself along with a team of friends, it has nothing to do with politics. It will always remain politically neutral. Personally, while serving humanity and the human society is your passion, you will see opportunities to serve humanity in every platform. By joining politics, I have entered a new world. Here I see plenty of fresh opportunities to carry on with my passion.

CD: The activities of TRF are praiseworthy. Are you planning to expand its services? What’s the financial source of TRF ? 

A R Puthige: It has always been my dream to see TRF serving humanity at the national level. We will do it gradually. My friends in TRF are already planning to extend its services to the neighboring districts. TRF is run by a well-knit team. All its finances come from donations contributed by myself, my business partners, my close associates and members of my family. 

CD: Can you tell about a time when you almost gave up? How did you feel about that and what did you do instead of giving up?

A R Puthige: Ups and downs are essential parts of one’s life. There have been a number of such ups and downs in my life too. My faith in God helps me to overcome all the hurdles, remain positive and optimistic even under the most challenging circumstances. It’s my belief that God does not close a door on you before opening a dozen doors for you. You just have to positively look around and you will see those doors. I am from a very humble back ground. God has always been extremely kind to me. I am sure he will always be so in future too.

Comments

shaan Dubai
 - 
Thursday, 14 Dec 2017

error: To break jamiyyathul falah he made TRF

shaan Dubai
 - 
Thursday, 14 Dec 2017

AR Puthige once again proved an opporunist,to break and to become permanent president he formed TRF. Now to do some deal joined JDS to please BM Farook. He is a show man ans self publicityman

Yes in maharastra if MIM have enough chance to win all should support them. as far as Karnataka is concerned SDPI have enough chance so MIM have to withdraw their candidates and full support to be given to SDPI. thats all i can say.

Shahul
 - 
Monday, 4 Dec 2017

In reply to by Abdul Ghanim

MIM does't have enough grass root level workers and not enough vote base even though in Maharastra they won 2 MLA's and many number of municipal councillors due to good leadership to lead.

Abdul Ghanim
 - 
Sunday, 3 Dec 2017

In reply to by shahul

Dear Shahul,

 

SDPI Backed Independent Candidates contested for the first time in UP Local body elections and have earned good response from general public, as far as SDPI is concerned they have 2 Strategy, electoral politics and Agitative politics, unless SDPI contest in election they canot win. as far as MIM is concerned yes this time they have bagged around 32 seats out of which 29 seats alone in Dasna muncipality it happend just because they contested dispite of alligation that they will damage congress bla bla n all, but last time in karnataka SDPI got good number of seats and MIM got no seats it doesnt mean that MIM should not contest if they have enough strength they have to contest but in karnataka they doesnt have grass root level workers when they doesnt have base they must and should support SDPI. 

Dear Abdul

 

"SDPI have enough stength to defeat the soft & hard hindutua groups" What happened SDPI strenght in recently held UP corporation/Municipality and Panchayat elections even in Up majority of area consists of Muslims and Daliths. Hyderabad based MIM won in signifacant numbers.

Abdul Ghanim
 - 
Saturday, 2 Dec 2017

In reply to by Shahul

Dear Shahul,

 

with due respect, would like to make some points here.

 

the minorities were facing challenges and difficulties not only under the current rigim. if you go back to the previous 70 years of Congress rule, the same citiuation we have came across. from Babri to Dadri, Mumbai to Gujrarath, the communal oufits are scot free, no justice is been delivered to the oppressed victims. many hate speeches were given under previous and  present congress rule, but congress miscerably failed to controll the Facists. even though congress now not in power but they have failed as a responsible opposition. they have promised the muslim community that they will impliment the rangnath mishra commision recomondation and justice sacchar commisiion recomondation on socio, economic condition of the backward muslim community but muslims were betrayed again and again! some certain extent we have to agree that during the 70 years of congress rule they have devoleped the indian economy that was just because leaders like Indira Ghandi and Rajeev Ghandi, but the present  congress has become a B Team of RSS/BJP. if we talk about the present karnataka govt. Mr.Siddaramayya done a good job as he belives in Socialism. but again congress has failed to impliment the promise which they have mentioned in their Election manifesto ( you can check their website). to defeat the RSS/BJP voting congress is not the solution. for us all previous experinces are learning lessons. let this time give Chance to SDPI were they have enough strength to defeat the soft and hard hindutva groups.!!

Shahul
 - 
Thursday, 30 Nov 2017

In reply to by Abdul Ghanim

Dear Abdul

 

I also agree with you. I am not a supporter of congress party. If we analyse the current situation of our country with the minorities and daliths really miserable. The minorities faching challenges and difficulties under the present government, Muslims and daliths linving in a sense of insecuriy, intolerance and fear in a great diversify and pluralstic country thar gives equal rights to every citizen..Everday they are advocating provocative communal statements and threats from the BJP and sangh parivar leaders. We never experenced this type of situation under the congress rule.They are palying with divisive and hatred politics. we are witnessing  the voileance,atrocities, lychhing across the country in the name of religion and attacking muslim personal laws. Congress governement never interefered in the muslim personal law. It is true under the 70 years congress rule mulslims are lagging behing in education,employment,healthcare and economic and basic facilities. One thing we have to agree that today india is a developed and strong economic country the credit goes to congress party for their 70 years hard work and sacrifices. The current governance of congress governemt is better than comparing to other states. Honourable cheif minister is doing a better job and improved our state in all sectors. We can not trust the JD(S) some places thery are supporting congress (BBMP) and some places they are supporting  BJP (recently held ligislation council chairman voting.) we have to take a united stand for the betterment of our community and society.

Dear Shahul,

 

i do agree with you, but later mr.kumar swamy openly apologised for his wrong remarks, as per your statement  if we are limiting our anger jus for one statement, then why we have to vote congres??? they have  been in power for more than 70 years! what justice they have delivered to the oppressed muslim community?? if we have an opportuinity for playing positive politics then we have to stand on our own or sometimes  if required  we need to make the allience and  get the support from other so called secular party's be it congress or JDS but our objectives and principle should remain the same. electoral allience and political  ideology is 2 different componants, as we are living in a multi cultured society we cannot stand alone, we need to make alliance with like minded partys, if any one compromises with its ideology then we may call them as political opportunists. like Mr.SM Krishna and Jayaprakash Hegde..!!

Shahul
 - 
Wednesday, 29 Nov 2017

Yes SDPI allianced wih JD(S) for their own electrol convenience and benefits. The same JD(S) ex chief minister Mr.Kumaraswamy called the madrasa breeding place of terrorism. How you can call these parites secular party.

Abdul Ghanim
 - 
Wednesday, 29 Nov 2017

SDPI was telling the same from  bigining but congress never heard their demands! JDS at least heard the voice of SDPI and it was agreed for the electoral aliance in the past. yes i do agree with Mr. Puttige All secular parties in state level and national level work out a strategy and provide a political share for all the secular parties as per their strength. then only we can put united fight against facist forces.

shahul
 - 
Tuesday, 28 Nov 2017

Mr.Deve Gowda's grand son Mr.Prajwal publicly criticized JD(S) is a party of  suitcase culture.

Fan
 - 
Monday, 27 Nov 2017

Dear Kumaraswamay,
I hate you and your party... But, if you assure me to make A R Puthige chief minister of Karnataka, I will definitely vote for your party!!!

Mangalorean
 - 
Monday, 27 Nov 2017

Very nice interview. People like Mr A R Puthige are need of the hour in politics. He is a self made man. Hope he will reach new heights and continue to serve people. 

Viren Kotian
 - 
Monday, 27 Nov 2017

Why so called secular parties are so much worried of a nationalist party? If you can work out a strategy we also can work out a strategy

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News Network
June 8,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 8: Amid the relaxations in the coronavirus-induced lockdown, wedding planners are adapting to changing times and advancing themselves to provide best possible services to their clients.

Wedding planners come up with new trends. While women are matching their masks to their outfits, men who use turban for a wedding are wearing matching masks with the turbans. People are getting creative at the same time maintaining safety protocols. The live streaming of weddings for those who could not attend the wedding is also becoming a new normal.

Manisha Porwal Chouraria, a wedding planner at Color Palette Productions speaking to news agency said that Post COVID-19, weddings are performed as per the old cultures.

"Wedding Industry has impacted due to lockdown in the wake of COVID-19. Now, the concept of micro-wedding is trending in which you have guests who are close to you. Now, the old culture is back again as people who use to hold a wedding at lavish destinations are getting married in their lawns, farmhouses, terraces. Earlier, people used to get married in their 'Aangan' (Courtyard), people seem to be doing the same now. It is more personalised and expenses have come down, now. People are spending small amounts on decoration," said Chouraria.

"Following government guidelines, we are allowing 50 people at the wedding and not more than that. We are doing live streaming telecast and people can watch the wedding. We are also shipping gift boxes with a letter to 500 people who could not become part of the wedding. In the letter, we are writing that because of norms, you may not be invited but we want something to gift you on our wedding. People are planning to get married now and decide to throw a grand reception after 6 months in the hope that things will get better," she added.

Commenting upon how wedding planners are ensuring social distancing and how the fashion style changed due to pandemic, Chouraria said: "People are using matching masks. If women are wearing silk sarees, they are also wearing silk masks. Men are wearing matching masks with saafa (turban). The entire staff is asked to wear PPE kits. We are giving the guests a healthy kit comprising up of masks, sanitisers, gloves and tissues. We are doing thermal screening of the guests. We are also gifting cuddle curtains, a plastic transparent shield by using which you can touch feet of elders without physically touching them."

Mansi Porwal, Creative Head at Color Palette Productions said that it is becoming a challenging task for creative heads to plan wedding but still they are providing their best to the clients.

"Earlier people used to do theme wedding, big Indian Fat weddings. Now people are wedding with a small gathering. Now, family members are getting time to suggest the wedding planners about themes and the thing they want in their weddings. We are providing the best," she said.

"We have come up with a new theme, 'Har Din Subh hai' which means every day is auspicious. Post COVID-19 people are looking for available dates for the wedding. Now, every day becomes auspicious. This is going to be the new trend," she added.

Another wedding planner, Abhilash of Taarini Weddings said that their company is providing customised masks to guests.

"Earlier we have lots of weddings to cover across the globe. But now, we have less numbers of weddings. Budgets are reduced now. We are happy to start again. We are creating e-invites in which we are sending the guidelines to the guests. We also have a help desk to assist the clients and guests. We are providing the matching masks to the groom and we are also giving customized masks to guests too," he said.

Earlier, Karnataka's Department of Health and Family Welfare Services had issued an advisory for marriages, stating that not more than 50 guests shall be allowed and the consumption of liquor on the occasion will be prohibited.

As per the advisory, anyone found having fever, cold, cough, difficulty in breathing shall not be permitted to attend the event and immediately referred to seek medical advice.

"All persons shall wear face mask compulsorily. All persons shall maintain a physical distance of more than one metre. Hand wash with soap and water shall be provided in washrooms," adds the advisory.

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News Network
June 18,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 18: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominated Prathap Simha Nayak, M.T.B. Nagaraj, R. Shankar and Sunil Valyapure to contest in the June 29 biennial elections for 4 of the 7 Karnataka legislative Council seats, an official said.

"Our high command selected 3 of the 4 candidates the state core committee recommended on Tuesday, excluding H.R. Vishwanath, a former Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) rebel, who lost in the December 5 Assembly by-elections from Hunsur in Mysuru district on a BJP ticket," a party official said.

Nagaraj, a former Congress rebel, who also lost in the Assembly by-election from Hoskote in Bengaluru Rural district on a BJP ticket, was the state housing minister in the 14-month-old JD-S-Congress coalition government, which fell on July 23, 2019 after 17 of their rebels resigned then.

Shankar, who was an Independent and a minister in the former coalition government, was not given the BJP ticket to contest in the December Assembly bypolls though he too resigned from the Ranebennur assembly seat in Haveri district, about 340km northwest of Bengaluru, along with former Congress and JD-S rebels.

Valyapure is the party's grass-root leader from Chincholi in Gulbarga district in the state's northern region, about 586km from Bengaluru.

Valyapure extensively campaigned in the May 2019 general elections and ensured the victory of BJP candidate Umesh Yadav from the reserved Gulbarga Lok Sabha seat, defeating Congress senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge.

Nayak is also the party's grassroot cadre who rose from the ranks to become its Dakshina Kannada district president in the state's coastal region.

As the ruling party has 116 legislators in the 225-member Assembly, all its 4 candidates will need 28 votes each to win the contest.

Of the 7 outgoing Council members, 5 are from the Congress and one each from the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and an Independent.

With 68 lawmakers, the Congress will be able to retain 2 seats and the JD-S one as it has only 34 legislators in the lower house.

The Congress has nominated its outgoing Rajya Sabha member B.K. Hariprasad and outgoing Council member Naseer Ahmed to contest for 2 Council seats.

Of the 75-member Council, the opposition Congress has 37, BJP 19, JD-S 16, two Independents and one Chairman.

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News Network
January 6,2020

Dubai/Washington, Jan 6: Tens of thousands of Iranians thronged the streets of Tehran on Monday for the funeral of Quds Force commander Qassim Suleimani who was killed in a US air strike last week and his daughter said his death would bring a "dark day" for the United States.

"Crazy Trump, don't think that everything is over with my father's martyrdom," Zeinab Suleimani said in her address broadcast on state television after US President Donald Trump ordered Friday's strike that killed the top Iranian general.

Iran has promised to avenge the killing of Qassim Suleimani, the architect of Iran's drive to extend its influence across the region and a national hero among many Iranians, even many of those who did not consider themselves devoted supporters of the Islamic Republic's clerical rulers.

The scale of the crowds in Tehran shown on television mirrored the masses that gathered in 1989 for the funeral of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

In response to Iran's warnings, Trump has threatened to hit 52 Iranian sites, including cultural targets, if Tehran attacks Americans or US assets, deepening a crisis that has heightened fears of a major Middle East conflagration.

The coffins of the Iranian general and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was also killed in Friday's attack on Baghdad airport, were passed across the heads of mourners massed in central Tehran, many of them chanting "Death to America".

One of the Islamic Republic's major regional goals, namely to drive US forces out of neighbouring Iraq, came a step closer on Sunday when the Iraqi parliament backed a recommendation by the prime minister for all foreign troops to be ordered out.

"Despite the internal and external difficulties that we might face, it remains best for Iraq on principle and practically," said Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who resigned in November amid anti-government protests.

Iraq's rival Shi'ite leaders, including ones opposed to Iranian influence, have united since Friday's attack in calling for the expulsion of US troops.

Esmail Qaani, the new head of the Quds Force, the Revolutionary Guards' unit in charge of activities abroad, said Iran would continue Suleimani's path and said "the only compensation for us would be to remove America from the region."

ALLIES AT FUNERAL

Prayers at Suleimani's funeral in Tehran, which will later move to his southern home city of Kerman, were led by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Suleimani was widely seen as the second most powerful figure in Iran behind Khamenei.

The funeral was attended by some of Iran's allies in the region, including Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Palestinian group Hamas who said: "I declare that the martyred commander Suleimani is a martyr of Jerusalem."

Adding to tensions, Iran said it was taking another step back from commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal with six major powers, a pact from which the United States withdrew in 2018.

Washington has since imposed tough sanctions on Iran, describing its policy as "maximum pressure" and saying it wanted to drive down Iranian oil exports - the main source of government revenues - to zero.

Talking to reporters aboard Air Force One on the way to Washington from Florida on Sunday, Trump stood by his remarks to include cultural sites on his list of potential targets, despite drawing criticism from US politicians.

"They're allowed to kill our people. They're allowed to torture and maim our people. They're allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And we're not allowed to touch their cultural sites? It doesn't work that way," Trump said.

Democratic critics of the Republican president have said Trump was reckless in authorizing the strike, and some said his comments about targeting cultural sites amounted to threats to commit war crimes. Many asked why Soleimani, long seen as a threat by US authorities, had to be killed now.

Republicans in the US Congress have generally backed Trump's move.

Trump also threatened sanctions against Iraq and said that if US troops were required to leave the country, Iraq's government would have to pay Washington for the cost of a "very extraordinarily expensive" air base there.

He said if Iraq asked US forces to leave on an unfriendly basis, "we will charge them sanctions like they've never seen before ever. It'll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame."

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