Suave Krishna & mannina maga Gowda: Two leaders who trod parallel paths

IF there could be any comparison between two stalwarts of Karnataka politics, it would be between former chief minister SM Krishna and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, contemporaries from the Vokkaliga community of Old Mysuru region.

- DEVARAJ B HIREHALLI @Bengaluru

They hail from diverse backgrounds: Krishna a foreign-educated law graduate, and Gowda a civil engineer-turned-contractor, who shaped themselves in public life to emerge as leaders at the state, national and international arenas.

Incidentally, both of them began their political journey in 1962 when they were elected as independents from Maddur and Holenarasipura assembly constituencies respectively. Krishna, who later identified with the Praja Socialist Party, joined the Congress following the call of former prime minister Indira Gandhi. Under the patronage of the Grand Old Party, he scaled new heights when he went on to become external affairs minister in the Manmohan Singh cabinet. In his yet-to-be released autobiography, Krishna has reportedly mentioned that his name was considered for the PM's post in 2004.