Indra’s Drishtikona (Viewpoint)

Narayana Murthy vs. Deve Gowda

Posted : October 27, 2005 at 10:34 pm [IST]

Many times it becomes difficult to forget the authority one, particularly politician had held in a coveted post that he gets either deservedly or undeservedly. Whenever, I hear VPSingh, Chandrasekhar, and Deve Gowda speaking on a subject, it appears somewhere at the back of their mind their one-time prime minister is influencing the statement. I don’t know if H D Deve Gowda considers himself a senior Karnataka politician, a national leader or lives in the shadow of his short-term Prime ministerial role. He forgets about his individual capability. Why does he through his public utterances keep on offending not only a company such as Infosys, or keep on naming the respected mentor and one-time chairman N R Narayana Murthy? Is it due to Deve Gowda’s frustration, inferiority complex, or ego? Can someone suggest how to deal with such a politician that has gone insane somewhere? Why doesn’t he understand that he can’t become NarayanMurthy? Why can’t he forget that it was just a chance that he became the prime minister of a country like India?

As per the media, he is the main obstacle to expediting of any project to improve the present condition of Bangalore or for that matter Karnataka, may it be metro, international airport, or expressway. I wonder why can’t our respected Prime Minister Dr. ManMohan Singh or for that matter Sonia Gandhi do something. I am sure Narayana Murthy must have gone mad after hearing the charges of Deve Gowda, and a man of his standing and respectability could have tolerated that any more and resigned as the chairman of the new airport construction company.

I wonder why can’t there be public protest on the issue. Do the people of Karnataka and that of Bangalore know Deve Gowda more than Narayana Murthy and respect him more than the later? If it is true with the people in rural area, what do the intellectuals of Bangalore think? Why can’t there be loud voices against these crooked politicians? Why the people of the state are allowing a single man to undo whatever good has been done to make Bangalore come on the global map as a respectable destination for all in knowledge sector?

Bangalore and its people must reply to Deve Gowda’s damaging actions and tell him to keep shut if he can’t facilitate the remedies of Bangalore’s problems, he has no right to accentuate it. He forgets that knowledge sector is one that can very easily get moved to different destinations.

It is pity that the politicians are trying their best to keep the people as backward as possible so that they can manipulate them for their vested interests. Till now we heard about the unscrupulous politicians of the Northern states, but now it is happening in the city that we all Indians are proud of. Politicians such as Deve Gowda are bent on damaging the image of Bangalore and It industry.

Narayana Murthy and earlier Premji are asking the government to improve the basic infrastructures in Bangalore. And it is not something unknown to the great politician. He has become the most important person as the people have voted some of his followers as MLAs in numbers that can make the government survive or fall. He must be more humble and responsible. He is unnecessarily getting into fight with technocrats and company executives that no one has done till now. He must not make the company executives a part of his political game.

Here are some media reports about Narayan Murthy and Deve Gowda conflict:

Gowda’s an obstacle to growth: BJP
‘NR gave everything to the project’BIAL project. Chief executive officer Albert Brunner
Bangalore infrastructure issues - Narayana Murthy quits as BIAL Chairman
Airport: Murthy puts foot down, walks out
Infosys rebuts Gowda’s charges, point by point
A day on, IT heat on Karnataka - Infosys rebuts land-grab charges
Narayana Murthy trashes Gowda
Does Premji tell us how to run the govt: Gowda
The incredible Mr Gowda
Finmin Speaks For India! ‘Please come back Mr Murthy’
India wants more Murthys, no more Gowdas
Tech boom turns into doom
Should Bangalore die?
‘I’m sick and tired of what the city has become’

It is horrid story of an egoistic and frustrated politician, a typical of the Indian breed.

- Indra

Category: Indian politics |