The political mobilisation against the regressive political formation that is in place in Karnataka has had very little that is political about it. Instead, it too looks like a circus.
With Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj sanctioning the permission that two advocates sought to file a case against Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa over allegations of corruption including the de-notification, to benefit his relatives, of land acquired by the government, the decks appear to have been cleared for the next inescapable step. That step, if the confrontation worsens, could be the dismissal of the Chief Minister and the imposition of President's Rule in the State. The all-too-predictable violence that was let loose during the State-wide bandh called by the Bharatiya Janata Party on January 23 following the Governor's action, could well provide the justification for such drastic action.
According to a report in Varta Bharati, a Kannada daily (January 23), the Governor, who is known to be a loyal Congressman, warned a delegation of BJP Ministers led by Law Minister S. Suresh Kumar that called on him to protest against the sanctioning of prosecution, of such a step. The warning was issued in the context of the BJP's call for the bandh, before the bandh degenerated into violence the following day. The Union Home Minister too warned the BJP that taking the battle to the streets would be unacceptable.
However, such warnings are unlikely to persuade the BJP to moderate its protests. The BJP would like nothing more than get its government dismissed and wear the halo of martyrdom. The party had done exactly that when the Janata Dal (Secular) walked out of the coalition led by the BJP and paved the way for the collapse of the first government led by Mr. Yeddyurappa within a week of its assuming office in November 2007. Less than a year later, in May 2008, the BJP came to power on its own, albeit with the help of a few independent MLAs to muster a majority in the Assembly.
In its three years in office, the BJP government has exposed itself in all its venality, and worse. These years were marked by a further entrenchment of communalism and destruction of social harmony even in areas where communalism was not an issue earlier. The Bababudangiri-Datta Peetha issue, attacks on churches, criminalisation of normal aspects of social interaction such as conversations between boys and girls belonging to different communities … the list can go on. Serious allegations of corruption have been made by the Lokayukta, who considers L.K. Advani a “father figure.”
The BJP, which historically has been an inconsequential political force in the State, was able to become part of a government in Karnataka in February 2006, even if only as a partner in a coalition with the JD(S), thanks to an alliance that the JD(S) struck with the BJP. Driven by his antagonism to the Congress — which probably earned that following its successful poaching of a JD(S) leader and attempts to break the JD(S) — he broke with Congress-JD(S) coalition government under the Congress' N. Dharam Singh that had assumed office following the 2004 Assembly elections.
This was not the first time that a ‘secular' political party was joining hands with the BJP solely with a view to retaining power. But the seeming lack of qualms on the part of the JD(S) was striking. Though it had won more seats than the JD(S) in 2004, the BJP, taking a long-term political perspective, agreed to serve under a JD(S) Chief Minister. The understanding was that the BJP nominee would head the government for the last two years of the life of the Assembly. However, after happily being in power with the BJP, whose leader was the Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister in the coalition for two years, the JD(S) walked out when it was the BJP's turn to head it.
The BJP exploited this ‘breaking of faith' by the JD(S) and emerged as the largest single party in the May 2008 elections, but it was still short of a majority. It, however, managed the required numbers and, in its own eyes, became the legitimate party of government in the State. It has been routinely asking for the elimination of the JD(S) as a political force in the State. It envisages a ‘two-party system,' with two ‘national parties', itself and the Congress, competing for power. No doubt, this explains the virulence of the JD(S)' opposition to the BJP. Leaders who have even older grudges against the Congress accuse the two parties of being in a ‘secret alliance' with a view to marginalising and eventually eliminating the JD(S) as a political force.
Pipe dreams, really. Three into Two will simply not go; the reality defies the formula. For the political pathology of the state and society in Karnataka is marked by near-frozen divisions rooted in caste and regional loyalties. Fortunately, religion and language identities allow for some plasticity. The fragmented polity merely reflects this social and political reality.
These differences once found their political expressions within Congress factions. Until the period of the Emergency and its immediate aftermath, the competition was essentially between and among these factions. Palace coups could take care of internal dissidence without affecting the dominance of the Congress. Thus, even during the three decades of unchallenged dominance of the Congress in Karnataka, only three Chief Ministers completed their term: K.C. Reddy, S. Nijalingappa and Devaraj Urs. K.C. Reddy had the advantage of being the first Chief Minister after Independence; and the last, Devaraj Urs, the extraordinary conditions that prevailed during the Emergency.
This has not been the case post-Emergency, when the State had five Congress-led governments — including one led by S. Bangarappa who has gone through a veritable odyssey of political journeys including a stint with the BJP. Only one of these, led by S.M. Krishna, was able to complete its term. The BJP has exploited this instability, and the deep desire of the urban middle classes for stability, by presenting itself as the very symbol of political rectitude and stability.
There is little doubt about the incompetence, and worse aspects, of the first BJP government in Karnataka, now in its third year. Its very beginnings when the BJP had not won an absolute majority of seats in the 224-seat Legislative Assembly but managed to form the government, invested the government with a measure of illegitimacy.
However, given the State's depoliticised polity, beset metaphorically with too many circuses, the political mobilisation against such a regressive political formation has had very little that is political about it. Instead, it too looks like a circus. Consistent with the Congress culture to which the JD(S) too is heir, the mobilisation has always looked like yet another attempted palace coup that was a feature of the rearranging of the deck chairs during the years of Congress dominance. Only this explains the constant visitations upon the Raj Bhavan, routinely described as ‘courtesy calls'. The leader of the Congress Legislature Party routinely calls for the resignation of the Chief Minister, sometimes imploring the BJP Legislature Party to ditch Mr. Yeddyurappa and elect a new (BJP) leader in his place. It is almost as if the problems faced by the people of the State are not the doing of the BJP but of one individual.
In the last three years of the BJP government, one has not come across a single mass public rally anywhere in the State by any opposition party seeking to expose the corruption, and worse acts, of the BJP government. No political party seems to want to “go to the people.” This does contrast with the kind of political mobilisation that takes place routinely on matters of public polity in faraway Assam. There, the separatist insurgent outfit, the United Liberation Front of Asom, still outlawed though its leaders are on bail and freely moving about in the State, is now planning to hold State-wide political conventions to seek opinion and guidance from the people on its three-decade-long struggle for sovereignty.
Keywords: Yeddyurappa, Bhardwaj, Karnataka politics
It is true that the BJP government is highly corrupt in karnataka, But in the absence of any honest and strong opposition to counter this, the people still have the only choice even if it's a bad one and recent local body elections have shown where Congress came at distant second. The issue is clear, in order to expose the BJP, the opposition needs to link its corruption with misgovernance rather than using political deputies to dethrone the Government. With the absence of Autonomous Anti-Corruption institutions in India only honest politicians can bring about a change in Governement.
The current BJP government is way better than other options available like Deve Gowda clan, or fragmented Congress. The people of Karnataka are moderates, so you will see no militancy like in Assam. The governor is clearly seen as a Congress/JDS agent, who meets with Gowda and Congress leaders every day for breakfast. The writer is trying to project that Governor, Congress and JDS are saints and BJP is the only sinner. But people know better.
The author is ignorant of present ground realities and he is overlooking the historic victory of the Congress party under the leadership of Veerendra Patil in 1989 elections. Before embarking on the article, he ought to have studied the post independence history of Karnataka with dispassionate mind.
The results of the recent elections of local bodies in Karnataka show very well that the people in majority are still in favor of BJP and the leadership of Sri Yedeurappa. Any amount of malpractices by Sri Bharadwaj, the Governor of Karnataka, who claims still to be a staunch Congressman, against the democratically elected BJP Govt. and any effort of Congress and Janata Dal (S) by their leaders Sonia and Deva Gowda to topple the first BJP Govt in Southern India would not yield results. The people of Karnataka also would not be misled by the mis- reports of a few Media who are always anti-BJP.
Probably one of the rare half-baked opinions to appear in Hindu...writer does not clearly convey any idea...can't really be qualified as an analysis of the current situation either, for it is conspicuously lopsided.
The states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh appear to have a similar history of unstable governments over the recent past. Perhaps the root cause could be a lack of the people's identity with the unified state, favouring localised regions instead. An apathetic state polity is evidently one which would be remiss of its duty of vigilance. Under these circumstances of a possible carte blanche the activities of most politicians, regardless of party affiliations, would be best be described as degenerate, parasitic, and bad governance. Karnataka is need of at least one strong, committed leader from any party who inspires and unites the people of the state, and cleans up the state machinery, thereby laying a firm foundation for good governance over the years that succeed.
I agree with the author wherein he mentions that the opposition are not rallying for the people's cause, rather rallying for the downfall of a government, more so one single man. This will not augur well for those parties when the winds of the election blow by, the people are already confused as to who can run a stable govt in Karnataka erstwhile one of the best developed states in india. The future is daunting and certainly or fearfully exciting!
this article explains the problem as if only BJP is responsible for the political degradation of Karnatka.One should never forget that the Congress is equally responsible for this as it is the Congress which was at the helm for most of the time. The father-son duo (JD-S)went further to the lowest level of politics just for their political greed and forged the allliance with BJP which was never a alliance on the realm of true politics. The most important thing about the term SECULAR which he has used for JD-S,which is totally ambiguous. No doubt BJP is a party based on communal politics and so a communal party but party like JD-S which forges alliance with BJP whenever they feel like to fulfill their political ambition cant be secular too.In fact a party like this is more dangerous as they are communal in policy on a shining secular face.
It seems that the opposition has no mental, moral, ideological, political strength to take the issue of corruption to the public and expose the ruling government. In spite of showing the courage to take the issue of corruption to the people, the UPA government at the center is employing the constitutional sacred office of governor to arm twist present aggressive karnatka government. The opposition parties should sit and analyze the issues and take them to the public if they want to sustain democratic politics in Karnatka and else where.
Incomplete researched material here. Cong and JDS never had been in opposition- in fact they were complementing each other. It was when BJP came to power- they could not tolerate it. As Yeddyurappa says, if BJP completes a 5 yr term here- no one can shake BJP. Yes, there is some amount of corruption- not as much as exaggerated in media. A simple fact that people are still with BJP itself speaks a lot. Flood victims of north Karnataka are not ignored- for the first time in history of the country, those who are displaced are completely transferred to a new village.
Seems like an article written just to fill the opinion page. Not clear what the writer wants to say.The facts on the ground suggest that BJP has been gaining in strength over time because of the immoral politics of the Congress and JD(S). Why did the JD(S) stab BJP in the back when the time came to hand over power? And from the day of Yediyurappa assuming power JD(S) is hell-bent on not allowing BJP to govern the state. Congress through the shameful acts of the Governor is providing all help to JDS in this immoral politics. But Yediyurappa should resign and call fresh elections to get rid of the corrupt influence of the mining mafia.
This editorial is simply brilliant. The machinations of the various dispensations seeking power in Karnataka only serves to demonstrate how far from their collective minds, the common man is.
The main problem is the Congress which ruled almost 60 years not letting assembly function properly and hence developement was the victim. The CM's of congress like S.M.Krishna, Dharam Singh and leaders like HK Patil(a former minister who lost election this time),DK Shivkumar(one of the goonda in Bangalore),Deshpande(believed to have 100s of acres of land outside Bangalore, Mallikarjuan Kharge,who did nothing for Karnataka, all have made huge money and now barking at the ruling govt which started the development work after they came to power.The main developments are Bhagya Laxmi yojana - lot of people appreciated this) and rural infrastructure development and North karnataka has improved a lot. That was visible in civic elections that BJP got clear majority in north Karnataka will do so in future also.The Congress has to play a responsible opposition role not like Devegowda who cares more about his family rather than state else time is near to Congress which will be eliminated.
Clear view of the apathy of the politics in Karnataka. As to why the opposition hasn't done anything, like going to public is, everybody knows that they too have a hand in the jar. Perhaps a clear majority to BJP could have changed a few things, like not having to go to the reddys for financial backings etc... Other than the sorry state of the flood victims in north Karnataka, the ground situation (growth) hasn't deteriorated but hasn't improved either.
This piece reeks of intense hostility to the BJP. The writer declares Bharadwaj as 'known to be a loyal Congressman'! That Sonia Gandhi discards like Bharadwaj are 'supposed' to shed their political loyalties when appointed Governor is considered irrelevant when dealing with a BJP Government - translation - Governors must prominently display their Congress loyalty as a badge of honor and work actively to throw out BJP Governments and usher in Congress rule, failing which a regional party will do ! Karnataka politics is completely different from that of other Southern States. Heads of religious mutts wield enormous clout among their followers, particularly among Lingayats, the largest community in the State. Yedyurappa is the most prominent leader of this community and has consistently supported these mutts. He has gathered the solid support of forward castes who were always discriminated against both by the Congress and Deve Gowda. And the support of SC/STs in North and Coastal Karnataka. The Congress has no leader worth the name and hence has to depend on Bharadwaj to fight its battles. Deve Gowda's outfit is mainly a Vokkaliga mouthpiece, with zero support outside the Old Mysore districts. The party is a fiefdom of the Gowda clan, reeking of corruption and nepotism and utterly unscrupulous in its dealings. No wonder neither the Congress nor the BJP trusts the JD(S) ! Karnataka has never been receptive to any 'regional' political party, though today the JD(S) is one! Bharadwaj will be doing the BJP a favor if he dares to dismiss it. It will romp home with an absolute majority of its own in the next election, though in the interregnum the State will witness chaos and violence.
The opinion expressed here is not the full view of the scenario. We should see both sides of the case. Never in the history of state 700cr was given to the corporations of the north Karnataka nor any one brought in industrial investment worth 65000cr. This list is too big if i carry on. Yes the corruption in the state has to be stopped but also credit for their work is to be given. Also the fact that people in & out are constantly trying to destabilize the government is affecting the progress of the state,
Use of political power for enriching oneself by the CM is deplorable. However since when the largest party in a legislature becomes illegitimate? I wish Prabhakara has applied the same standard to Rajasthan? How many times has Congress got absolute Majority in Rajasthan? Has the Governor used any accepted norms in sanctioning prosecution? Has he not been itching for removal of the BJP Govt in the state? Does not the Congress has a history of using Governors to topple other state Govts. Do not have a jaundiced eye, Prabhakara.
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