Congress leader and former minister H.K. Patil knows quite well that his priority now is tackling the drought—to be more specific providing drinking water— and not keep rambling about the internal conflicts in the party. In an interview with Deccan Chronicle, Mr Patil did not even mind presenting a documentary explaining his pet project on providing pure drinking water round-the-clock. When it finally came to political issues, he preferred to be as cautious as possible.

Excerpts from the interview:

A Lingayat leader from north Karnataka, Jagadish Shettar, has been made chief minister. You hail from the same region, how do you view the change of guard?

All you have to do is see the BJP’s performance in government. Seven or eight leaders went to jail and came out and scores of them are on anticipatory bail. The statement made by former CM D.V. Sadananda Gowda is more intriguing. He said he would throw biscuits to silence his critics. I would like to ask Mr Sadananda Gowda to spell out how and why he silenced his critics? This statement of his leads to more speculation about the BJP’s misrule. But, I do not view things in this manner. The drought in north Karnataka will make people react differently. They may not vote on caste lines. The outcry against the government was so visible that it will reflect in the next elections. The BJP leaders tried to muddy the waters and draw the benefits which may not pay dividends this time.

You are referring to the internal crisis in the BJP. But, the Congress is in turmoil, isn’t it?
Differences of opinion are being highlighted as groupism. This is purely a media creation. And those who want to create such confusion will be disappointed.

The recent legislative council election is a classic example. An official candidate, Iqbal Ahmed Saradagi, was defeated. You were on the expert panel to investigate the matter. The report clearly said that there was a lack of co-ordination between the Opposition leader and the KPCC president. How did the party lose the elections?
(Smiles) This is a very sensitive issue. Being on a very important committee like this, I cannot disclose whatever we said in the report in public. I am not authorised to speak.

But the BJP claims the Congress stands decimated in north Karnataka and has no scope in the south because of the Vokkaliga factor. Comment.
There is a lot of difference between a Congress voter and a BJP voter. You see the BJP voter always flaunts his identity whereas a Congress supporter maintains a low profile and votes for the party when the election is due. So, the so-called segregation of votes does not make sense. We know the reality which is diametrically opposite to what you said.

Moving on to your political graph, you were number three when Congress was in power till 2004. Where do you go after you retire from the legislative council?
I worked for several years under pressure and to put it frankly, I am doing a different kind of work now. I am focussing on a drinking water project, my dream is to implement it across the state. My friends and colleagues are working shoulder to shoulder to change the face of rural Karnataka.

In the process you are being sidelined.
I do not think so. Whatever responsibility the party gave me, I have handled it perfectly. So, I do not have any doubts about my place in the party.