Rarely does one see the traits of a hardcore politician in him. He does not look like a businessman either, though he is a remarkably successful entrepreneur. Some in the Congress jocularly remark that Shamanuru Shivashankarappa ‘owns’ Davangere, a city with a nearly 4.5 lakh population which goes to show how rich he is, owning a chain of educational institutions, oil mills and many more business enterprises.

In the Assembly, the veteran is hardly heard speaking. He spends his day listening to others while in the afternoon, he relaxes with a group of close associates. The evenings are spent at his five-star hotel suite. Quiet he may be, but Mr Shivashankarappa, who celebrated his 82nd birthday on Saturday, has not given up hope of taking over the leadership of the Congress state unit. He has no doubts that Lingayat MLAs in the Congress want him to lead the party. In an interview with Deccan Chronicle, Mr Shivashankarappa says the Congress has no alternative but to make a Lingayat leader the PCC president so that the party can return to power.

Excerpts:
How do you analyse the Legislative Council elections from the Assembly, Graduates and Teachers’ constituencies?
It is really humiliating. I feel we made a mistake. We should not have fielded a fourth candidate in the elections. Unfortunately, one of the official candidates lost the polls and this is not a small issue. Those who commit blunders should be punished. The state leadership too erred. They should have ‘attached’ the MLAs (assigned 19 legislators to each candidate) to ensure the victory of party nominees. The Teachers’ and Graduates’ seats were never with the party. Still, we could have done far better, particularly after announcing candidates six months in advance.

After the humiliating defeat, Lingayats held a separate meeting. Can you explain what happened?
Nearly 50-60 leaders including all MLAs from the community attended. They said Shamanuru Shivashankarappa should be made the PCC chief. Once central leaders get over the ongoing Presidential election, a delegation will go to New Delhi to meet AICC president, Sonia Gandhi and demand a change of leadership.

What if the high command refuses to give in?
(Smiles) For argument sake, you can say the high command will not give in to pressure. But, as a political party, don’t we have an ambition to come back to power? If we are serious about this, it is inevitable to change the PCC president and bring a Lingayat. See the political history of our state. What happened in 1989 and 1999? Be it Veerendra Patil or S.M. Krishna, they did magic for the party. We have history to back our argument. So, I feel the high command will agree to our demand.

Reacting to the Lingayats’ meeting, KPCC president, Dr G. Parameshwar said a Dalit protest may happen if the Lingayats unite and demand the post of KPCC chief?
I do not want to join issue with Dr Parameshwar though I do not know why he reacted to our meeting. It was unfortunate that he reacted in this manner. We are upset with him for making such statements. As PCC president, he should not have reacted like this.

If the Congress high command changes the PCC president and brings in a Lingayat, then the Vokkaligas and Kurubas may not back you.
Look at our cultural roots. Basavanna took every one along with him. We are not into divisive politics. A Lingayat taking over the mantle means he will take all communities with him. I know the fundamentals of politics. It is no longer a secret that 60 to 70 per cent Vokkaligas are with H.D. Deve Gowda (Former PM). No matter what you do, they will not come to you (Congress). So, making a Lingayat the PCC chief will not upset anyone. Rather it will benefit the party.

At your meeting, it was claimed that the party will get 150 seats in the Assembly and more than 20 seats in the Lok Sabha if a Lingayat leader is made PCC president. Isn’t it an unrealistic assessment?
No. What did Veerendra Patil, a Lingayat, do? A Veerashaiva leader can take even Opposition leader Siddaramaiah (a Kuruba) with him. And Veerashaiva swamijis are no longer backing B.S. Yeddyurappa (former CM). They are waiting for an opportunity to break with him as they are upset. If the Congress appoints a Veerashaiva, they will back the party. And the party can easily pocket 150 seats in the Assembly. This is no big deal.

Why do you want to be in power at 82?
This is not my ambition. People want to see me take responsibility. They are not bothered about a leader's age, they analyse him based on his donations and the social work done by him. I presume that because of these qualities, people want me to take up the responsibility.

Are you sure you can tour the state and manage the poll campaign, if you are made PCC president?
It is not a big issue touring the state as I can easily handle party affairs by focusing more on north and central Karnataka.

There's a perception that the reins of power should not be given to those who are billionaires.
This can happen only in the BJP, not Congress. Let them give me a chance, I will prove their perceptions wrong.