After long wait, Archbishop tells CM not to come for Xmas party

Times news Network

Bangalore: Politicians religiously come late to functions, whether they are related to religion or not. Archbishop Bernard Moras, who had organised a Christmas get-together for important personalities of Bangalore on Friday, got tired of waiting for the chief minister and told his office that Kumaraswamy need not come.

The Christmas party was to start at 5 pm on Friday. After waiting for the CM, the Archbishop got it started around 5.30 pm, but still waited for him. The CM’s office told the Archbishop that Kumaraswamy was stuck in Sira, Tumkur district, and would join the party after landing at Jakkur by a helicopter. Political leaders, the Chief Justice, bureaucrats, the police commissioner and others were already there. Though the governor could not make it as he is in Hyderabad undergoing an eye surgery, he sent two representatives from Raj Bhavan with bouquets to greet the Archbishop.

But no such courtesies from the CM, and the wait continued. The CM’s office kept saying Kumaraswamy was coming by road and would reach the party around 8.30 pm. It was revised to 10.30 pm. By then, it was time for the Archbishop and other priests to leave the venue to attend to their prayers.

On Saturday morning, the Archbishop called the CM’s office at 8.30 am to check if the CM could come over for the occasion. The CM’s office confirmed he would be there at 9.30 am, and revised it to 10.30 am. Again, there was no sign of him till noon, the Archbishop’s office said.

Around 12.30 pm, a frustrated Archbishop started moving out his chambers, when a couple of policemen came running to inform him that the CM was on his way.

It was again the same story. When the Archbishop’s office checked with the CM’s staff, they said Kumaraswamy was attending some function at the Vidhana Soudha Banquet Hall and would be with the religious head in a little while.

The Archbishop, whose patience had already been tested to the limit, conveyed to the CM’s office that he need not come.

“The CM should not always look to capture votes, but also participate in social and cultural gettogethers. He has been late to arrive in virtually every function and he has never apologised. His father H D Deve Gowda too used to come late, but at least he used to apologise,’’ the Archbishop’s office said.

CM clarifies
Kumaraswamy said, “There was some communication gap and I will meet the Archbishop on Sunday morning.”

Of Late...

• Kumaraswamy was to inaugurate a water tank at Ramnagaram at 10.30 am last week. When he landed, it was 6.15 pm.
• For signing an MoU at Oracle for networking 100 polytechnics, he came so late that four corporate honchos finished speaking and then asked the audience to sing to pass time. He came two hours late.
• At the Rajyotsava function where top honchos like Infosys chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy, Biocon CMD Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Toyota Kirloskar Motors chairman Vikram Kirloskar among others were present, the CM arrived late.