Why The Angry Kodava Voter Turned Against The Congress

Kodagu district saw a consolidation of votes for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recently concluded Karnataka elections, thanks to former chief minister Siddaramaiah’s decision to honour the memory of the controversial eighteenth-century king, Tipu Sultan.

The celebration of Tipu Jayanti had sparked heavy violence in the district in November 2015 and angered the Kodavas in the district.

The district had three assembly constituencies – Madikeri, Virajpet, and Somwarpet – until 2008, after which the delimitation of constituencies was carried out. Somwarpet then became a part of Madikeri constituency, and the district came to be represented by two constituencies alone.

Kodavas and Gowdas are the two major communities in Kodagu, and both of them backed the BJP in the last three assembly elections as well as in the Lok Sabha election. The scales tilted in the BJP’s favour after Kodavas raised the demand for a separate state, or a hill council, or at least an autonomous region.

The Kodavas have been making this demand since 1956, but it was muted until a few years ago.

A minority in their land, Kodavas have largely been feeling insecure due to government policies in the past, particularly with regard to development programmes in the district. They didn’t want urbanisation as it unfolds today, as they sought to protect the environment, their ethos, societal values, and heritage, and wanted development along those lines.

But legislative representatives from the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S), have failed to appreciate their demands. Representatives like Jivijaya and M C Nanaiah have been accused of ignoring Kodava needs for a long time, which is why they were defeated in the last two elections, say Kodava leaders. The community has since consolidated into one homogenous group of BJP voters.

Even before the elections, many Kodava organisations sought a clear stand on the issue from the candidates, saying they would oppose Tipu Jayanti celebrations if elected. The JD(S) and Congress candidates did not offer such an assurance while the BJP strongly opposed it, thus gaining the confidence of the electorate.

Generally, the three major political parties – the BJP, Congress, and JD(S) – issue tickets to a Gowda and Kodava candidate in the Virajpet and Madikeri constituencies. Sometimes, a Lingayat candidate replaces the Gowda candidate. In the recently concluded election, however, the Congress issued the ticket to former member of Legislative Council C S Arun Machaiah in Virajpet and Zilla Parishad member K P Chandra Kala in Madikeri.

JD(S) fielded its district unit president, Sanket Poovaiah, in Virajpet and former minister B A Jeevijaya in Madikeri. The BJP fielded former speaker K G Bopaiah from Virajpet and Member of Legislative Assembly M P Appachu Ranjan from Madikeri. The Congress and JD(S) candidates in Virajpet were Kodavas, who make up the majority of the voters there. While these two parties issued tickets to Gowda candidates in Madikeri constituency, the BJP issued tickets to a Kodava in Madikeri and a Gowda in Virajpet.

In 2008 and 2013, Bopaiah and Ranjan got elected from Virajpet and Madikeri constituencies by a margin of 4,000-6,000 votes. This time, interestingly, both candidates were able to more than double their margin of votes. Bopaiah won by over 13,353 votes while Ranjan won by 16,015 votes. The winning margin is a record in the district.

This time in Madikeri, Ranjan faced opposition from his party workers. Many Sangh Parivar workers alleged that despite Ranjan’s twin victories from Madikeri and twice from Somwarpet constituency, he has done little in the way of development in the area. His opponents demanded a new face prior to the election, but Ranjan managed to get the ticket in the first list, while Bopaiah, also facing resistance from many other aspirants in Virajpet, got the ticket after much effort.

Political observers say that the decision to celebrate Tipu Jayanti, and the prevailing anti-establishment mood, led to a pro-BJP, anti-Congress wave. The announcement of the Jayanti drew strong protests from the people of the district, particularly from the community, as the cruel king had massacred thousands of unarmed Kodavas in Devatparambu near Bhagamandala.

Tipu Sultan attacked Kodagu many times during his time, but was unable to win as Kodava warriors adopted guerilla tactics. An angry sultan invited Kodavas for a compromise at Devatparambu on 12 December 1785. Thousands of unarmed Kodavas assembled at a ground that offered an opportunity to Tipu Sultan and the French army to attack them. Thousands died and as many were arrested and taken to Srirangapatna jail. Hundreds of people died on the way there.

Kodavas have never forgotten this mass violence. Every year Kodava families offer “ede” – meals to the departed souls.

Though the Karnataka state government has made Tipu Jayanti celebrations an annual affair since 2015, BJP workers have been disrupting them with protests.

The district administration had strengthened the security for Tipu Jayanti celebrations in 2015 at the Town Hall in Madikeri and clamped prohibitory orders. But the BJP, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and other Sangh organisations staged a protest at the General Thimmaiah Circle. However, minorities who came in from Kerala in large numbers clashed with the protestors. Then a mob began to raise pro-Tipu slogans. They attacked the district hospital and pelted stones at windows. District VHP organising secretary D Kuttappa, who was standing outside the hospital, succumbed to his injuries caused by the stone-throwing. The death enraged the Hindu youth, who clashed with the police. In retaliation, three young people were shot dead.

The state government took serious note of the violence and ordered a magisterial probe. The enquiry indicted Deputy Commissioner Mir Anees Ahmed and then-superintendent of police Vartika Katiyar. The report said that the district administration failed to provide proper security and avert clashes. On 26 April 2018, the state Home Department exonerated Indian Police Service officer Katiyar of all charges after examining her response.

When contacted, the son of the deceased VHP member, Dali, said that the district administration had the chance to avert clashes, but they did not take any steps towards it.

Even a section of the Muslim community leaders did not want to celebrate Tipu Jayanti. M Nasir, a maulvi in Madikeri, said Hindus and Muslims had been living in peace and harmony for years and that Muslims never demanded the celebration of Tipu Jayanti. Amin Mohsin, district unit president of Social Democratic Party of India – the political wing of the Popular Front of India – however, said Tipu Sultan was a warrior who fought against the British and died fighting them. He found nothing wrong with Siddaramaiah celebrating Tipu Jayanti.

Virajpet MLA Bopaiah said that the people of the state never accepted Tipu Sultan as a king because he converted thousands of Kodavas at knife point. In Napoklu and Emme Madu, he said, a separate community called “Kodava Mapillas” was created owing to the brutalities of Tipu.

Codava National Council (CNC) president N U Nachappa told Swarajya that the Kodava community had never forgotten the brutalities of Tipu Sultan. He said the CNC had built a memorial in Devatparamb five years ago, but the Forest Department authorities had demolished it. He said those who glorify Tipu Sultan will fall, like film producer Sanjay Khan, Vijay Mallya, and French king, Napoleon.

The CNC has demanded an apology from the French government for the 1785 massacre of Kodavas.

The people in the district were also swayed in favour of the BJP after prices of coffee and pepper had slumped. The state government had not taken any supportive measures to help the farmers.