Senior BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal is arguably one of the most disgruntled leaders today. The ruling party has been going slow on the demand of the Panchamasali community, to which he belongs, for inclusion in the 2A category of OBC list. This is only the latest among his many grievances against Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa.
He has expressed his frustration on many occasions by hitting out at Mr. Yediyurappa and his style of functioning. Last Wednesday, on the floor of the Legislative Assembly, he accused the Chief Minister of being missing in action, saying there was no assurance from the government on Panchamasalis’ demand despite rallies and protests by the community. Knowing well that the ruling establishment is unlikely to concede the demand right now, Mr. Yatnal has threatened to launch an all-night protest on the premises of the Legislative Assembly on Monday if the Chief Minister declines to set a deadline on inclusion of the community under 2A. Though Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the government would speak to Mr. Yatnal and ask him to calm down, it remains to be seen what his next move will be. Meanwhile, with him around, the Opposition’s task is half taken care of.
Living dead
In Bengaluru, the real estate mafia seems to be more powerful than the BJP government, or so one would think, going by a recent statement of Revenue Minister R. Ashok. The Minister appears to have conceded defeat to the real estate mafia and officials who are hand in glove with the agents. He recently expressed helplessness in dealing with the encroachment of government lands worth thousands of crore in the State capital. “It feels like my hands are tied,” remarked the Revenue Minister, indicating his inability to take on the property mafia.
Officials in the sub-registrar department too knock on the doors of the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal and get stay orders on transfers and come back to Bengaluru, he said.
Amused with the Minister’s remark, A.T. Ramaswamy, JD(S) MLA, who was part of a committee that went round the city to prepare a report on land encroachment, asked whether the government was alive. There was enough land grabbing in the city based on fake documents that would fetch sufficient money to prepare two State Budgets, he said. “These are powerful people, who are fudging documents to grab land. There is no fear. That’s why I say we are the living dead,” he said.
A punching bag
When in public life, every person’s action is keenly watched and commented upon. Criticism gets louder especially when there is a lot of publicity over developmental programmes but little is visible on ground.
Photographs of Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar holding pickaxes and performing bhoomi puja for various works appears in the print media regularly. Often these very photographs are used to take a dig at him. In fact, Mr. Shettar has been targeted by the Opposition for delay of every developmental work. This seems to be of late getting on the nerves of Mr. Shettar who otherwise has the image of taking criticism in his stride. He lost his cool at a recent event. However, he soon braced himself and said he had become something of a punching bag. “It is like I am responsible for anything that goes wrong in the twin cities,” he said, amused.
Nagesh Prabhu
Girish Pattanashetti
