NEW KARNATAKA CHIEF MINISTER H.D. KUMARASWAMY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENNAI 000212

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINR IN
SUBJECT: NEW KARNATAKA CHIEF MINISTER H.D. KUMARASWAMY

REF: CHENNAI 0163


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Haradanahally Deve Kumaraswamy (age
46),a former film producer and the son of former Indian
Prime Minister Deve Gowda, became the new Chief Minister
of the south Indian state of Karnataka on February 3,

2006. Kumaraswamy, who led a defection of Janata Dal
(Secular) (JD(S)) assembly members causing the former
government of Congress Party's Dahram Singh to fall, has
little experience outside of his native Karnataka. Among
his first acts as Chief Minister has been the wooing of
the large Bangalore-based knowledge industry in a bid to
secure their support, which he sees as critical for his
survival. This message provides biographic information
on Kumaraswamy. END SUMMARY

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WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN MEETING KUMARASWAMY
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2. (SBU) Kumaraswamy's English language skills are
extremely limited. During Kumaraswamy's visit to
Consulate Chennai in June 2005 in connection with a visa
application (he received a ten-year validity tourist visa
but then cancelled a scheduled trip to the U.S. to attend
to political matters),Poloff's attempted conversation
with him was limited to very short questions and even
shorter responses. His demeanor seemed sullen and
uncommunicative, but that may be a result of his
uncertainty with the English language. Press reports
quote him as saying, "I want to learn spoken English."
Often dressed in homespun cotton shirts and light
trousers, he comes across as a person who prefers to
remain in the shadows. That is where he remained during
the time his father and former Indian Prime Minister Deve
Gowda served in office.

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HORIZON LIMITED TO KARNATAKA
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3. (SBU) Educated entirely in Karnataka, Kumaraswamy
attended the Saint Joseph School in Hassan, where he is
remembered for playing hooky, often spending time in the
local cinema watching his favorite movies. His college
education was entirely in Bangalore. Despite faring
poorly academically, he received his Bachelor of Science
degree from National College, Bangalore in the late
1970's.


4. (SBU) A short foray into the movie business saw him
produce five local language movies that did well in the
box office. He maintains his ties with the movie
industry and is the president of the Karnataka Cinema
Theatre Owners Association. Kumaraswamy first came into
the political limelight in 1996, after his father Deve
Gowda secured a JD(S) constituency for him. He won the
Kanakapura Lok Sabha seat in 1996, but lost it two years
later. In 1999 he stood for election to the state
legislature from two constituencies but lost both. In
state elections held in 2004, Kumaraswamy contested and
won the Ramanagaram seat located in a rural district near
Bangalore. In the same year he was made working
President of the JD(S) after being denied a berth in the
Congress-led state cabinet.

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WIFE AND MOTHER HIS TWIN DRIVERS
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5. (SBU) Married to Anita, who is known as a driving
force behind his political career, Kumaraswamy has a son
Nikhil who is currently pursuing his bachelor's degree in
commerce at Jain College, Bangalore. Kumaraswamy is
known to be very close to his mother, Chennamma, whose
blessings he sought prior to taking office.

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A SKILLFUL MANIPULATOR
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6. (SBU) As working president of the JD(S),Kumaraswamy
assiduously cultivated members of the Karnataka
legislature belonging to his party. Exploiting their
growing disenchantment with the party's coalition
arrangement with Congress and their fears of reelection
failure following his party's poor performance in local

CHENNAI 00000212 002 OF 002


body elections, Kumaraswamy led a rebellion of 43 party
members. Forming an alliance with the opposition BJP, he
staged a coup and staked his claim to form the
government. (Reftel).

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PARTY OPPOSITION REMAINS
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7. (SBU) The alliance with the BJP, however, has drawn
considerable flak from the JD(S) party's national
leadership. Kumaraswamy's father, Deve Gowda, was forced
to resign as party president after his son's coup. With
the top leadership of JD(S) calling for their expulsion
from the party, Kumaraswamy and his fellow rebels face
the prospect of precipitating the dissolution of the
state legislature.

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KUMARASWAMY WOOS THE KNOWLEDGE INDUSTRY
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8. COMMENT: Generally perceived as being an enemy of
Bangalore's burgeoning information technology industry in
favor of a more pro-rural stance, Kumaraswamy has taken
pains to allay IT industry fears. In his first press
conference as Chief Minister, he assured investors and
industry officials that their concerns about the
deteriorating state of Bangalore's infrastructure would
be addressed. One of his first acts as Chief Minister
was to call upon the state bureaucracy to come up with a
status report on pending infrastructure projects in the
city. It is not clear whether this expressed concern for
the IT industry and its infrastructure worries is based
on conviction or political expediency. With his
government precariously placed at the moment, his future
may depend on whom Bangalore's knowledge industry backs.
As Mr. Narayanamoorthy, Chief Mentor at Infosys, put it,
"Its time for a fresh mandate." END COMMENT

HOPPER