Interview: Conversions are not right says Karnataka BJP MLA Ashwath Narayan

He thinks the time is yet not ripe to say that All is Well in his constituency but CN Ashwath Narayan, the BJP MLA from Malleshwaram constituency in north-western Bengaluru is very confident about the welfare about the development process there.

The 45-year-old legislator, who is a doctor by profession, recently spoke to Oneindia about his constituency, Bengaluru city and his party's prospects in Karnataka and the entire country.

Aswath Narayan has been serving as the MLA of Malleshwaram since 2004.

Here are a few excerpts from the interview:

Oneindia: How will you judge the health of your constituency Malleshwaram?

Ashwath: I am still not confident to say that everything is in order in my constituency. We are yet to achieve a scientific way of functioning. At this moment, we work like somehow managing everyday challenges. The mode of functioning is to improve.

Oneindia: Would you have said the same had your party been in power?

Ashwath: That's not the point. Irrespective of the party in power, the bureaucrats and officials remain the same. It is them who execute the plans. The party in power is not the main concern.

Oneindia: One MLA said recently that it is very difficult to be a legislator of Bengaluru city. Do you agree?

Ashwath: I agree with that. The dense population, the day-to-day issues, urban poverty... there are so many things to deal with. The MLAs are lawmakers and we can't be on the streets to execute the action. We should be working in the legislature. But things do not always occur like that.

Oneindia: Do you enjoy a smooth working relation with bodies like BBMP and BDA? Do you think these civic bodies are doing their work perfectly?

Ashwath: I believe in team effort. I do maintain a good understanding with the officers and people in general for ultimately it is them who matter. But regarding the functioning of the civic bodies, I think there is a problem over mapping of the city.

The residential areas are being made to pave way or commercial activities which is not right. We lack planning and that hurts our civic comforts.

Oneindia: It is said Malleshwaram has a lopsided development. While some parts are well-developed, others are not upto the mark. Your views on this.

Ashwath: I think such allegations are baseless. Malleswaram has a lot of advantages overall in terms of civic infrastructure.

Oneindia: As an MLA, do you give special emphasis on security of the people in your constituency against events like terror attack? We had a terror attack in Malleshwaram in April 2013 and recently there was a blast at Church Street.

The Makar Sankranti is approaching and there will be huge crowd on the occasion.

How the authorities plan to deal with such situation?

Ashwath: I feel each of us should remain alert always. It is a herculean task to keep a track on each individual. In Malleshwaram, we have however, plans to install CCTV cameras for the sake of security. A sum of Rs 80 lakh have been provisioned for the plan.

Oneindia: Do you have any development project in the pipeline in Malleshwaram?

Ashwath: We believe in empowering people. We always try to engage people in all forms of activities. We have launched programmes like Malleshwaram Sahay app to connect more to the people and the app will be launched in Kannada soon.

Oneindia: The BJP is doing good in various states. What about its chances of coming back to power in Karnataka?

Ashwath: We certainly have a high chance of coming back to power in the state in 2018. The good work of the central government and the disappointing performance of the current Congress government in the state will make that possible.

Oneindia: You think the Siddaramaiah government is not doing good?

Ashwath: Yes it has been disappointing. This government follows an old model of functioning and there is a leadership problem. The BJP will cash in on these issues to make a comeback in 2018.

Oneindia: Do you think the recent controversy on religious conversions is harming the BJP's cause?

Ashwath: I do think that people should be left where they are. We are a diverse country. Such controversy is not required.

Oneindia: Do you have any plan to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election?

Ashwath: No, I am happy with what I am doing at the moment.

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