Serving an ace

When he has some time to spare, he designs men's clothes. Or watches or plays tennis -- he does not miss the telecast of any major matche...

When he has some time to spare, he designs men8217;s clothes. Or watches or plays tennis 8212; he does not miss the telecast of any major matches, if he can8217;t see them live, he gets them recorded. He was a Fullbright scholar at the George Washington University. He is bald but doesn8217;t show it, he wears a wig. Fine, but surprisingly he is a politician too, and now, a chief minister.

But Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna, who avoids using the Gowda part of his name in a state where caste means a lot, is a politician with a difference in more ways than one.

His most enduring reputation in a political career spanning almost four decades: Non-controversial. It is the one quality which has finally helped him become the 16th Chief Minister of Karnataka last week.

The other prominent feature of his brand of politics: Patience. Having come within striking distance of chief ministership in 1992, Krishna did not rebel, he just waited. Krishna later admitted, half in jest, that he had put his best clothes for swearing-in,believing he would be Chief Minister. He settled for the post of deputy to the Chief Minister, M. Veerappa Moily.

The smoothness with which he was elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party CLP this time indicates his ability to balance the equations. Even his one-time arch-rival Moily had little choice but to admit: 8220;He deserves to be Chief Minister, having led the party to a convincing victory in the elections8221;.

Though his elevation has upset another contender for the job, Mallikarjuna Kharge, Krishna8217;s disarming style has already won him over. This is how he did it: he reportedly paid Kharge a visit, just a day before the crucial CLP meeting. And so when it happened, in true Congress tradition8217;, Kharge himself proposed Krishna8217;s name as CLP leader.

Described by his wife Prema as a person 8220;who cannot say no to anybody8221;, Krishna is likely to placate Kharge by offering him the next-best thing 8212; the job of his deputy. Even during the distribution of party tickets, Krishna went8220;underground8221; 8212; to avoid people to whom he couldn8217;t say 8220;no.8221; Even his party leaders think he has a tough life ahead, they say he can at best be a tough-talking8217; chief minister.

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Krishna began his political career by defeating state Congress president and chief minister aspirant H.K. Veeranna Gowda in Maddur. That was 1962. He was a Praja Socialist Party candidate and his political address was his father8217;s. Somanahalli Mallaiah, was a distinguished member of the erstwhile Mysore Representative Assembly.

In 1968, he shed his anti-Congressism and won the 1968 by-election to the Lok Sabha on a Congress ticket. Though he was re-elected in 1971, he preferred to sit in the State Legislative Council. Devaraj Urs inducted him as Industries Minister in his cabinet between 1972 and 1977.

Krishna felt uncomfortable with the Emergency, but, he did not speak up against Indira Gandhi. At the same time, he distanced himself from Devaraj Urs, resigned from the Urs cabinet and launched his Repentance Satyagraha8217;in Mandya8217;s Silver Jubilee Park.

He re-joined the Congress and was elected to the Lok Sabha for the third time in 1980. He has not looked back since. Perhaps the only downward curve in his career graph since came in 1984 when he was defeated in the Lok Sabha election despite the 1984 wave following Indira Gandhi8217;s assassination.

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Born in Somanahalli village of Maddur Taluk, Mandya District, on May 1, 1932, he graduated from Maharaja8217;s College, Mysore, did his Law at Bangalore8217;s Government Law College. For his Master8217;s, Krishna went to the Southern Methodist University, Dallas, USA. A Fullbright scholar at the George Washington University, Washington, USA, he later taught International Law at the Sri Jagadguru Renukacharya College in Bangalore.

He contradicts the image of Vokkaliga politician of the Old Mysore region, which is typified by H.D. Deve Gowda. In Bangalore8217;s cultural circuit, they say Krishna is the Congress8217; Ramakrishna Hegde. He stands out for the way he dresses, for his love of art,literature and music. His friends refer to him as English Gowda8217; and Oxford Krishna.8217;

But beyond the veneer of modernity, there is a traditional person. He looked at his watch for the most auspicious8217; minute to commence his oath of office and secrecy8217;. Krishna changed the facade of his house because a Vaastu expert told him that there were some elements in the architecture that prevented him from becoming the Chief Minister.

Like Ramakrishna Hegde, he too knows what makes news. Over two decades ago when the nation was observing a petroleum conservation drive, Krishna as Industries Minister in Karnataka, cycled to his office at Vidhana Soudha. As the chief minister of the state, Krishna now has to ride a long way to please all.

8211;N. BHANUTEJ