George Fernandes: The flame that raged during its time
There was a time when people who fought hard in the movements came into the parliament or assemblies. During the 80s, both houses of the Parliament had names such as S A Dange, A K Gopalan, Ram Manohar Lohia, Bhupesh Gupta, Prof Hiren Mukherjee, Madhu Limaye and other stalwarts. George Fernandes who died on Tuesday was also one such blaze of fire. Having risen out of people's movement to the heights of a union minister, George today is just a fond yet painful memory.
Born in 1930 at Bejai in Mangaluru, George’s parents had decided that their son would be a Pastor. But George created his own path, by becoming an activist in socialist movement, and even as a central minister later in his life. Having come in contact with socialist leader Ammembala Balappa during his days as a student in St Aloysius College in Mangalore, George had great command on Kannada, Konkani, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam and Urdu. Like most of coastal Kannadigas, George went to Mumbai to earn a living and came in contact with labour activist at ports, Demello. He was inducted into the labour movement by Demello and after that George never looked back.
His initiation into socialism was through Dr Ram Manohar Lohia. George fought Lok Sabha elections and defeated the undefeatable S K Patil in 1967. He organized the railway labourers in 1974 and went on a strike to shake the Indira Gandhi government. The then PM Indira Gandhi imposed emergency in 1975. George went underground then and was subsequently arrested. He was elected to Lok Sabha even when he was jailed. He waged a war against companies like Coca Cola and others when he became the minister for industries in Morarji Desai cabinet in 1977, the first ever non-Congress government in independent India.
The Kannadigas especially those in coastal Karnataka can never forget George Fernandes because he was instrumental in ensuring the Konkan Railway track came into existence. This was a long pending demand of the people of this region. Because before this came into being, people had to travel 48 hours in bus if they had to go to Mumbai. The travel time reduced drastically with this. He was a very pro-people person and a core activist. His last days were rather very painful.
The anti-Congress politics of Ram Manohar Lohia brought George to the doorstep of BJP. The socialist party lost its existence after the emergency and was merged with Janata Party. Socialists lost their base. But the RSS maintained its independent identity and created Bharatiya Janata Party. George remained in the old Janata Party. He then created Samata Party after th split with the Janata Party. But that didn’t have a strong base. Finally, having compromised with his ideals, George entered into a coalition with the BJP. He was forced to defend Modi in the Gujarat massacre in the parliament. His political career was marred with coffin controversy when he was the defence minister.
It’s not easy for a young boy who washed utensils in Mumbai hotels to be elected from the same mega city to represent in Lok Sabha. But his politics lost track later. Leaders such as Lalu, Mulayam and Nitish Kumar entered the scene after Mandal Report was implemented. They didn’t need George amidst them. Being a minority, George didn’t have his own vote bank too. Then the dependency on BJP became inevitable. This clouded his political career which was created with such care and clarity.
It wouldn’t be too inappropriate of one called George a tragic hero of Indian politics. He dreamt of socialism and then took to ideals that was totally contrast to his life. He spent his days in recluse since Alzheimers had taken control of his faculties. No one would even remember George a few years later. A man has both pluses and minuses in his life. George had more pluses. How can anybody forget a hero who rose from nothing and grew to be a towering figure in Indian politics? His departure is truly a loss for the labour movement in India.
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Inappropriate for MLAs seeking free IPL tickets, says D.K. Suresh
Bengaluru: Bengaluru Milk Union Ltd President D.K. Suresh on Monday said it is inappropriate for MLAs to seek free IPL tickets, adding that those interested in watching matches should pay for them personally.
Speaking to reporters near his residence in Sadashivanagar, he said, “IPL is a commercial tournament and does not represent the country. It is not right for public representatives to focus too much on such matters.”
Referring to the recent controversy during the RCB celebrations, he said, “let us find out who benefited the most from the statements made during the incident.” He also pointed out that BJP MLAs had received IPL tickets as well.
Responding to discussions about relocating the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Suresh said the government has already approved the construction of a new stadium at a location he had proposed.
“I had suggested building a stadium in Surya City and submitted a proposal for it. Bengaluru needs four stadiums in four directions to cater to its growing population and encourage youth participation in sports,” he said.
He noted that apart from Kanteerava Stadium, KSCA, and the Football Stadium, there are limited facilities in the city.
“When I was a Lok Sabha member, I had proposed allocating 100 acres in my constituency at Surya City. The land was later earmarked and the plan approved,” he added.
Suresh said he has discussed the project with Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation Chairman Shivalingegowda, and Anekal MLA Shivanna.
“The Cabinet has now approved the project, and a stadium will be developed on around 50–60 acres,” he said.
He further added that he has requested the Deputy Chief Minister to build another stadium at Shivarama Karanth Layout through the BDA, where 40 acres have been allocated. Plans are also being discussed to develop a well-equipped stadium in Bidadi.
Commending state government's recent bilingual policy move, Suresh said forcing children to learn three languages could affect their comprehension.
“It is a good decision to make two languages compulsory. Learning a third language should be left to the choice of students and parents,” he said.
Responding to criticism from BJP leaders, he said their tendency is to oppose every decision of the government.
“To please their central leadership, they take a pro-Hindi stance. Instead, they should advocate for the adoption of Kannada in all states,” he said.
When asked about the earlier three-language policy under Congress, he said, “the situation is different now. Today, the focus should be on quality learning. Kannada should remain the primary language, while students and parents can choose an additional language.”
