I will set an example by being honest: Narayana Swamy

In conversation with Narayanaswamy, Congress candidate from Bangalore North...

Pic: http://cnarayanaswamy.com/

C Narayanaswamy, the Congress candidate from Bangalore North, seems to be a very busy man. Each time we called his number, we were told, ‘Sir is campaigning’ or ‘Sir is in a meeting’. We finally managed to catch up with him in a telephonic interview at 11 pm in the night. The 66-year-old candidate truly sounded tired at the end of a long day, his voice almost hoarse. Nevertheless, he patiently spent about 10 minutes talking to us about why he would make a good candidate and why good leaders are important for the society.

Why should people vote for you?

I have been in the public life for over 30 to 35 years. I was a member of Lok Sabha in this constituency earlier. And I am aware of the problems directly connected to the people of this constituency. I have a some experience in development administration. I have a clean record, I have been functioning honestly through my career- there has been no black dot in my political career.

Have you joined the Congress because of your closeness to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah?

No. I became an advocate in 1972 after completion of my LLB. I  entered politics in 1977. Till last August 2013, I was in Janata Dal (Secular). Basically I am opposed to communal elements. So when the JD(S) took a decision to align with BJP, I decided to quit the party. What I thought, I wanted to join a secular party, a secular national party and I decided to join the Congress.  

How are you funding your campaigns? Your money, party funds or donations?

Some well-wishers have given money, I have put in a little bit of my own and party is also spending some money as well.

Do you think 70 lakhs is enough for an election campaign?

That depends on how you campaign.

And how are you campaigning? What are the various medium that you are using?

Campaigning because… starting from going to the parks in the morning everyday – meeting the people who come for walks, we’re going to the grounds, visiting the various assembly constituencies, meeting the electorate through our party workers.

Will the salary you get as an MP be sufficient for you to run your family, as well as discharge your duties as an MP? How will you manage?

We have our organic farming, we have our own factory. I have two sons who are working. We have some inherited property also, with me being the only child in the family. No problem.

If you are elected, what will you do to reduce corruption in the system?

I can conscientiously say that I have not touched any bribes so far in my life. I have maintained my integrity and honesty in public service. Most of the time, that habit percolates from the top. When the person above is corrupt, he will not have the moral strength to control the corrupt people who are below him. So… I will set an example by being honest. There will be a sort of moral fear in the subordinates seeing an office of responsibility.

What happens if you win, but your party does not come to power? Is it possible to bring about change sitting in opposition?

Yeah! It depends on how one conducts themselves as a public citizen… whether I win or lose… I am in touch with the people of all the political parties.    

How will you maintain interaction with the voters once elected?

I have been with them all through the years. I have a website. I have been using it.

We did have a couple more questions for him, which he declined to answer over the phone. Understandably, it had been a long day for him. He did ask us to mail him the questions, stating that he would respond to them over mail. We will post his reponse once we hear from him. 

 

Comments:

  1. thapa Kumar says:

    sorry to say this sir, but after joining party like “Congress” , even though you are very honest and never accept bribe.. you will be considered as a cheat and corrupt, because of the reputation your party has .. you will regret you decision after election .. any ways all the best for coming election.

  2. Ravi chandra says:

    Candidate is important rather than the party.. at the end of the day constituency should improve..

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

Aarey colony has not been taken seriously by any government: Incumbent MP Gajanan Kirtikar

Gajanan Kirtikar, who joined hands with Eknath Shinde, says that SRA schemes should be allowed for Aarey residents to save the forest.

As India gets ready to vote to decide who will represent them in Parliament, Citizen Matters is speaking to elected Parliamentary representatives from Mumbai. We will ask them about the work they have done for the city, policies they have supported and why Mumbaikars should cast votes in their favour (or of their political parties). As part of this series, we spoke to Gajanan Kirtikar, who represented Mumbai North West for the past two terms. He is an active Parliamentarian who was one of top 10 MPs who asked the maximum number of questions during their tenure, according to a report…

Similar Story

Lok Sabha 2024: Know your MP — Gajanan Kirtikar, Mumbai North West

After long innings in politics, Gajanan Kirtikar faces the challenge of his son staying with Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena in 2024 elections.

Name: Gajanan Kirtikar  Constituency: Mumbai North West Gajanan Kirtikar, 80 is an old hand in Maharashtra politics and has risen up the ranks of his party. He has always been with the Shiv Sena, having been part of the core team of Bal Thackeray, subsequently working under Uddhav Thackeray. He chose to move to the Shiv Sena faction led by present chief minister Eknath Shinde.  He served as a legislator for four terms between 1990 to 2009 and then entered the Parliament for two terms from 2014. He also served as the minister of state for home and tourism and…