If it was ‘Chai pe Charcha’ for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it seems to be ‘Mudde and Rotti pe Charcha’ for the Janata Dal (Secular), which is planning to hold mini-debates over “injustice” meted out to Karnataka by national parties since Independence.
Discussions over mudde and rottis, the traditional food for the agrarian community in the State, is being rolled out from May 18, which marks the 85th birthday of the party’s national president and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda.
Incidentally, mudde and rotti signify the rural food preference in south and north Karnataka, respectively, and the move is aimed as an effort of the JD(S) to consolidate its traditional base in the old Mysuru region and try and make inroads into other parts of the State, while it retains its image as the party of the “humble farmer”.
“Symbolically, mudde and rotti represent rural Karnataka and people should be made aware of how national parties have consistently ignored the State’s interest. We are planning to organise discussions with small groups of around 30 at the village, taluk and district level,” Y.S.V. Datta, Kadur MLA, told The Hindu . “It is time for us to keep up the identity of Karnataka, and Mr. Deve Gowda has also represented the rural issues for long.” As a precursor to the mudde-rotti debate, a discussion on relevance of regional parties in the federal structure has been organised by Munnota and IT Kannadigara Koota on May 18 in Bengaluru, while a similar discussion is being organised by Lokanayaka JP Vichara Vedike in Kolar.
Meanwhile, as JD(S) is trying to shed the Vokkaliga party tag and woo different communities to enlarge its vote base, former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy met Prakash Iyengar, president of Malleswaram Brahmana Mahasaba, and sought his help to bring an effective government in the State in the future. He said: “I have discussed some issues with Mr. Iyengar, who is trying to organise his community and have sought his support.”
