| Published on 04-12-2007 In National |
| Viewed 1554 times |
| Politicians of all parties dent Karnataka's reputation |
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Written by
A. Jayaram |
Going by the avalanche of letters to the editor in the newspapers published in the Southern States especially in Kannada and other State languages, one can discern common themes. There is all round concern over the total eclipse of political morality and the sudden onset of political instability in Karnataka, a State that had built up some reputatation for better governance.
Only a few years ago, the then chief minister of the State S.M.Krishna, who appears to be a reluctant occupant of the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, had been voted as the No. One Chief Minister in the country by an English periodical. He had achieved such a name partly through good public relations, personal charm and friendly opposition parties. Krishna encouraged the IT sector and had visions of making Bangalore "another Singapore". But his failure to return to power in the 2004 Assembly elections was because of the Vajpayee Factor, which helped the BJP and the neglect of the rural sector, which benefited the Janata Dal (Secular), which was down in the dumps from 1999 onwards.
Karnataka is today being seen as a State where governments cannot last even eight days (in common parlance in Karnataka a week is referred to as eight days). The ousted chief minister B.S.Yeddyurappa finds himself in the company of those also rans who were in power briefly like Janaki Ramachandran in Tamil Nadu, Jagadambika Pal in Uttar Pradesh, the Raja of Saranghar in Madhya Pradesh, Dr.P.C.Ghosh in West Bengal and the handful from Bihar--Bindeshwari Mandal, the Raja of Ramgarh and Nitish Kumar (first ministry).
Karnataka is today being viewed as a State known for its scheming politicians who do not look beyond their families (read JD-S) and those who are power hungry (BJP as also the Congress). Left to themselves, there are a few leaders in the State Congress who were ready for yet another alliance with the JD (S) for the party cannot live without power. For public consumption, all the three major parties were no doubt talking of going for elections. That was before the reimposition of President's rule and the dissolution of the State Assembly. The integrity of some of the leaders of all the three major parties is being openly debated. It is common knowledge that some venal leaders have turned the political parties in the State into "frontal organizations" for the private professional colleges, builders' and mining lobbies. The once powerful liquor lobby feels unwanted and has become the dowager of the pressure groups.
A legislature committee headed by the public spirited former JD (S) MLA A.T.Ramaswamy has unearthed a huge land scam--- that in the last few years 45,000 acres of government land in and around Bangalore came to be gobbled up by the land mafia with the connivance of unscrupulous government officials.
Two religious leaders, the high profile Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who has international clientele and Sri Bala gangadharanatha Swamiji of Adhichunchanagiri Math and the family of the former Congress chief minister R.Gundu Rao have been named among those who are in illegal possession of government land.
The JD (S) and BJP leaders are openly trading charges of corruption, resort to black magic, blackmail and downright depravity. Here is a sampling of the trade in abuses. The former chief minister H.D.Kumaraswamy has alleged that Yeddyurappa was at one time ready to cross over to the JD (S) for a price, Yeddyurappa charges the JD (S) leaders of using sorcery against him and his supporters in his home town of Shikaripura point to weird pujas performed by unknown persons at the local helipad. A BJP MLA Renukacharya, a close follower of Yeddyurappa blames Kumaraswamy for a sexual escapade his name came to be connected with (the National Women's Commission is seized of this case). All these are no doubt meaty for the Kannada television channels in particular, but it has further sullied the image of the politicians in the State. The Congress is trying to derive vicarious pleasure and sporting holy ash and vermilion to project a holier than the others image.
The middle class is apt to compare the governments formed out of the dissolved 12th Legislative Assembly with those of the past like those headed by K.Hanumanthaiya, S.Nijalingappa, D.Devaraj Urs and Ramakrishna Hegde. Those with a sense of history may delve into the first half of the 20th century in princely Mysore and recall the administration of the progressive dewans Sir M.Visvesvaraya (1912-18) and Sir Mirza Ismail (1926-41).
No doubt Karnataka has never enjoyed the type of political stability or continuity as is being witnessed in West Bengal under the Left Front rule since 1977. There has been frequent change of chief ministers by the Congress as during 1989-94 and earlier the Janata dispensation (1985-89). It is of interest that of the 26 governments formed in the State since Independence, only one has completed a full five-year term. The first Devaraj Urs ministry lasted from March 1972 to December 1977 (at that time the Constitution had been amended giving a six year term to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies). But the image of Karnataka or that of the politicians in general had not been dented on the score of governments not completing their full term, as is the case now. |
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