On ex-PM Gowda's home turf: people rue over poor development

On the face of it, many people in the district take pride in the fact that one of India's prime ministers H D Deve Gowda of JD(S) was from this place, but there is also unhappiness over lack of development, growing unemployment and farmers' distress.

Their main grievance is that the district has not been developed enough like Shivamogga and Bengaluru despite electing political heavyweight Gowda as MP for five times from Hassan, a JD(S) bastion, dominated by Vokkaliga community to which he belongs.

As the electioneering has entered the final phase for the May 12 assembly poll, voters are debating about their choice.

During 2013, JD(S) had won five out of seven seats in Hassan district, the rest two by Congress.

"We are facing drinking water problem for last 10 years. Because of poor rains, the ground water level has gone down and the two borewells which 150 houses depend upon, are not working properly," Vanjashri Gowda who stays in Sathigala area of Sakleshpur constituency told PTI.

As a result, Gowda, who works in a coffee plantation, walks about 2 km daily to fetch drinking water from small streams that flow nearby.

"These borewells with hand pumps were installed when Deve Gowda became chief minister for the first time (in 1994). Thereafter, there has been no development," she says and adds that even roads are equally bad here.

Unemployment, crash in coffee and pepper prices, white-stem borer disease in the coffee crop, wild elephant attack on human beings among others are problems haunting people of Sakleshpura constituency, where there is triangular fight between JD(S), Congress and BJP.

Malleshappa, who owns 15 acres of coffee plantation in Sakleshpura says, "We had high expectation from Deve Gowda. He is known as 'mannina maga' (son of the soil). What has he done for poor farmers?"
The BJP candidate, who is contesting polls for the first time, said, "Deve Gowda has done good things but not good enough."