Vinod M Jain
It Was Difficult to Persuade Mankal Vaidya.
Opposition’s Condemnation Caused a Deep Wound.
Youth,Wealth,and Power Should Not Combine in One Place.
“It gives me immense happiness to see Mankal Vaidya,a gentleman who comes from a fisherman’s family and is still engaged in his profession,being unanimously and unopposedly elected as the Deputy Speaker,”said Chief Minister D.K.Shivakumar.
The Chief Minister spoke in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday following the election of the Deputy Speaker.
“There is a tradition of offering the Deputy Speaker’s post to the opposition party.
However, that position is still left vacant in the Lok Sabha.We thought about this as well.But due to high pressure,the responsibility was given to Mankal Vaidya.
His name was initially on the list for a ministerial post.I personally requested him and asked him to accept this position of Deputy Speaker,”he said.
“I also congratulate the opposition members regarding the election of the Deputy Speaker.The opposition expressed their protest in their own way,stating that the names of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker were recommended on our party’s letterhead. In a democracy, we cannot call this wrong,” he stated.
“This is a rare moment.He is a close friend of mine.I have observed his conduct and family very closely.His journey is very special.He was elected as an independent MLA.
Later, he was given a ticket from our party. He served well for three years as the Minister for Ports and Fisheries,” he said.
“He comes from a fisherman’s family and continues his profession even today.He has built his life through it.He has also made his mark in the field of education.
In 2005,he was elected as a Zilla Panchayat member, meaning he rose from grass-roots politics. In 2013,he was elected as an independent MLA.
In 2018,he had to face defeat due to various reasons.In 2023,he won again and performed exceptionally well.”
“Do not feel upset about getting the Deputy Speaker position. Rudrappa Lamani sat in this very chair and is now a minister.
S.M. Krishna and Jagadish Shettar, who sat in this seat, went on to become Chief Ministers.Therefore,nothing is permanent in politics,”he added.
It Was Difficult to Persuade Mankal Vaidya:
In the middle of the Chief Minister’s speech, when BJP’s Sunil Kumar remarked that “the election of the Deputy Speaker occurred due to a typing error,” the CM responded, “Alright, let us accept your point. But all of us together have placed him in that seat.
Tugs-of-war happen everywhere in politics—in your party and in ours. But no such tug-of-war occurred within us. It was simply difficult for us to persuade Mankal Vaidya for this position.”
When BJP’s Aravind Bellad said, “Your time was wasted in persuading Vaidya; he was not prepared for it,” the CM replied, “You will face a similar situation too. Were you not persuaded? Didn’t you say, ‘Be careful, do not sign any file’?.
I know everything too. Tomorrow, you might move from the adjacent chair to this side. Positions can change back and forth. Politics is the art of possibilities. Anyone can become anything, anyone can come here.”
Opposition’s Condemnation; Has Caused a Deep Wound:
“I am very disappointed with Ashwath Narayan, Vijayendra, and their team. I asked them to sit for two or three days and listen to what I had to say.
Yet, as soon as they entered the House, they shouted slogans of condemnation and deeply wounded my feelings. This matter has hurt me profoundly,” he expressed with sadness.
“I am stating facts as they are. Only I know the pain I experienced. None of us are permanent. We have inducted into the ministry people who came from other parties.
The BJP did it as well. How many people haven’t been made ministers in the Union Government? Yediyurappa built an entirely separate party.
Later, he returned to the BJP and became the Chief Minister again. Everything he said back then remains documented. Out of necessity, Yediyurappa was brought back to the party,” he said.
Youth,Wealth,and Power Should Not Combine in One Place:
“Elders had advised me back then that youth, wealth, and power should not combine in one place,”he recalled.
“Though I came to Bengaluru to pursue my education, I came here with the intention of entering politics. I contested elections while studying PUC.
Later, while doing my degree, I got the opportunity to become an MLA. Bangarappa made me a minister at a very young age.
Many people used to tell me back then that this position is not permanent. I wasn’t even married at the time. On the day I assumed office as a minister, I realized that power is not permanent. God had already provided financial strength,” he said.
“Thank you for electing our Speaker and Deputy Speaker. Let us all work together. Let us make Karnataka strong and contribute to India’s growth.
Vaidya is a pure-hearted friend. He has the strength to swim in the ocean. He is a friend brought up in the lap of nature.We will take a decision in the cabinet to utilize the natural resources of that region,” he concluded.
