Captain Gopinath eyes a slice of Parliament

Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar Gopinath (Capt G R Gopinath), who helped the common man find his place in the sky courtesy affordable air travel, is now training his sights on a political career.

The former Army veteran and no-frills airline pioneer told reporters at his residence in Bangalore on Thursday that the murky waters of electoral politics would be no less challenging, and that he had decided to take the plunge after discussions with friends and well-wishers.

“I am yet to decide on which seat to contest from out of Bangalore, but will decide this soon,” Gopinath said. “The country has witnessed traumatic events like the 26/11 attack in Mumbai, the economic slowdown and violation of human rights in Karnataka in recent times. This has prompted me to consider entering politics.”

He outlined a three-point agenda for his political foray —to fight terrorism, communal violence and divisive forces, and foster socio-economic development, particularly, in infrastructure.

Gopinath had last contested elections to the Karnataka Assembly in 1994 from Kansi constituency in his home district of Hassan. “I was a novice then, though the experience of trying to cover voters in 410 villages, pitted against Congress and Janata Dal candidates gave me an idea of the amount of money and clout required to win the elections.”

Asked to rate his chances, Gopinath said that regardless of victory or defeat, the bigger goal of uniting people behind the common goal of discovering greater ethics and probity in public life was paramount. “It is not important that I win or lose. When good people take a stand and decide to enter politics, it is a strong statement against the existing system.

I do not wish to take the high moral ground here, but let us remember that the best way to let evil triumph is for good people to do nothing. Active participation in the democratic process as candidates and as voters can help build movements and reinstate popular faith in the electoral system,” he said.