'Janata Darshan' bolsters Kumaraswamy's image among public

Bangalore, Aug 26 (UNI) For H D Kumaraswamy, the youngest Chief Minister of Karnataka, 'Janata Darshan' (meeting public) served as a boon to bolster his image despite incessant criticism from the opposition party leaders.

Though the concept was conceived during the Janata Party regime which ushered in the first non-Congress government in the state since independence during 1983, the popularity of the concept reached the top during Kumaraswamy's regime.

Although the then Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde was popular in holding such public 'darshans', it became scarce with his successors almost totally giving up the idea.

If at all there was any public darshan, it became a routine affair with the Chief Minister collecting petitions and forwarding them to departments concerned.

But Kumaraswamy's 'Janata Darshan' proved to be a different sort of event altogether. His personal presence from dawn to midnight during such events evoked tremendous response from the general public who came in from different parts of the state. There had been instances where in Kannadigas living in neighbouring states had visited him seeking help for their misery and had returned with a satisfactory smile.

His another innovative step 'Grama Vasthavya' (Staying in village) too gained popularity.

''To feel the pulse of the rural poor or the oppressed class, go to their doorsteps or invite them to your home,'' this was the mantra of Mr Kumaraswamy, whose 'quite popular' 20-month-long term is draw to a close on October 2 when he is expected to hand over the mantle to a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader.

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