Kannada writer and convener of Janapara Rajakeeya Ranga, Devanur Mahadeva, in an interaction with the media:
“Earlier, the education, liquor, sugar and industrial lobbies used to control politics from behind the scenes. This time, the mining and real estate mafia are openly trying to usurp power from the hands of the people. Political parties have become masks for them.
“This started when the Janata Dal (Secular) and Bharatiya Janata Party came together and formed a coalition government. It is time for the people to decide whether they want democracy or a rule by mining and real estate mafia.
“If not, the mafia will soon start bidding for legislators as corporate houses did for cricketers for the Indian Premier League.”
Read the full report: ‘Battle between mining mafia and democratic forces’
Also read: A people’s manifesto for the 2008 elections
churumuri 
The fears expressed by Devanur Mahadeva echo the sentiments of all the right thinking people through out the state. Of course, Lobbies were always playing a major role behind the screen in election right from the beginning, but never so blatantly. Now they have come on the centre stage and stealing the lime light. In a way , it is a testing time for the democratic values to prove their metal. So far big bosses of such lobbies were king makers but now they want to be kings themselves .
But all is not lost. Election commission has woken up to the reality and working hard to maintain the spirit of election invoking all the rules in the book and implementing them in letter and spirit to the discomfort of corrupt people who are trying to achieve their goal at any cost It is really praise worthy that election commission is sparing no effort to contain the money power. I do not remember a single instance of vehicle of a minister let alone that of former prime minister being seized in the history of democratic India. But now no one is spared. Now the ball is in the court of common people of Karnataka, who can uphold the democratic values by foiling the bids of Money bags who have bought party tickets to legalize their black money
There is absolutely no need to worry about the intelligence of voters who in the past have taught a few lessons to people like Vijaya Mallya and Vijaya Sankeswar who thought money can do miracle even in election.
A matter of great gratification is the firmness of election commission which is booking the case with out fear or favor. Only the thing that can set right the aberration is to disqualify the candidate who adopts dubious means to win the election
It will be a lesson of their life if various departments like income tax, sales tax, R.T.O , Revenue and Loka Ayuktha join hands to trace the source of black money and strike at the root
I think ,even people who express their grave concern over the decline of fair play and cherished values by writing columns and columns in news papers and delivering lectures for hours in seminars to uphold the democratic values have a vital role to play in the present situation. They should come together to form an association to expose the misdeeds, by making use of the right to information act to gather concrete evidence against all the corrupt practices and evolve some means or other for following up such exposures to its logical end
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