With the decimation of the Congress party in most states, one would have expected the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition in Karnataka to set an example of good governance to arrest the slide and attempt to bounce back into reckoning.
However, the H D Kumaraswamy government has stood out as a government of poor governance, of lack of cohesion between the partners and as a symbol of lust for power. If the government in this vital southern state is in doldrums, set to collapse like a pack of cards, more due to the internal contradictions than BJP manoeuvring, there are few tears that would be shed for it.
Karnataka has suffered irreparable damage and Bengaluru that was looked upon as a model metro is unrecognisable for its decay and collapse of infrastructure over the years. This state is counted as one of the most corrupt states and despite the head start it got in software, new investment has not been forthcoming.
It is indeed a pity that politicians have driven this once wonderful software capital of the country and the ‘city of gardens’ to such a pathetic state where living in the city is a virtual nightmare. Bengaluru is a picture of neglect, traffic chaos and the roads are in a terrible state.
The State’s electorate has handed out a strong rebuff to the government with the Opposition BJP grabbing 25 of 28 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. But far from learning any lessons, the Congress-JD (S) government is on verge of collapse with desertions from both parties in a naked display of opportunism.
With legislators bargaining for ministerial posts and other goodies, the State is an epitome of missed opportunities. There could hardly have been a worse example of greed, selfishness and hypocrisy than this. Whether the government stays or goes, politicians as a whole are a hugely discredited lot, shunned by the people who elected them and generally an object of derision and ridicule.
Chief Minister Kumaraswamy’s show of helplessness and throwing of tantrums fail to convince. His 10-day US tour at a crucial time when politics was in a state of flux was not only a show of indifference to the plight of the coalition but also fitted in with the adage ‘make hay while the sun shines.’
At the other end of the spectrum is former chief minister, Siddaramahiah, who is doing everything to destabilise the Kumaraswamy government, like a man who is sawing the branch on which he is perched. Kumaraswamy and Siddaramaiah have a history of being at dagger’s drawn right since Kumaraswamy parted ways with the Congress and set up JD (S).
Despite the party high command’s directives to him to hold his horses, Sidda has been inciting his supporters secretly to revolt against Kumaraswamy to try and return as chief minister or at least as a king-maker. The party high command has in turn been in a state of confusion.
The latest revolt in which 13 legislators drawn both from the Congress and the JD (S) have joined hands is an attempt to replace the coalition with a BJP government under Yeddyurappa.
Typically, the Congress has whisked away from its legislators to one resort and the JD (S) to another to insulate the remaining ones against BJP poaching.
In the decadent culture that is now being perpetuated, this has become a pattern on the eve of a floor test. It is indeed time the courts take notice of this subversion of democracy because it is getting from bad to worse.
On the Congress side, deputy chief minister, Dr G Parameshwara, neither has the stature, nor the backing of the party MLAs. With the high command at a loose end following Rahul Gandhi’s refusal to take back his resignation as Congress president, Congressmen are groping. With uncertainty looming large they are out to make quick gains and bargain for the best possible deal.
Yeddyurappa has been more cautious and less adventurous with poaching after some of his earlier attempts to influence legislators were exposed through hidden cameras and the Centre realised that all efforts were coming to nought.
Rebellion is brewing fast in both the Congress and JD (S). The coalition may collapse now or a little later but there is in no doubt that the BJP would lead the government.
Himself tarred with the corruption taint, Yeddyurappa is seen by people at large as a necessary evil. There is indeed a famine of genuine leaders in the State. In the 224-member Assembly, there are now 69 Congress MLAs, 34 JD (S) legislators and one BSP legislator compared to the BJP’s 107 which includes two independents. All eyes are now on the Speaker, waiting for him to call an Assembly session for a trial of strength. The rebels or those who have decided to desert the coalition along with the two independents have been moved to Mumbai and are rumoured to proceed to Goa.
The drama is at the cost of work in government offices in Bengaluru which is a shameful manifestation of how the people of Karnataka are being taken for a ride by ‘people’s representatives.’
The writer is a political commentator and columnist. He has authored four books.
