By Conrad Pinto : I’d like to start this post with the note, ‘I’m done with the BJP government in Karnataka!’. Now let me needfully carry on with this post.
When the BJP had been voted in with an enthralling majority, everybody’s eyebrows in Karnataka and around the country were aroused for the first-ever BJP government had been formed in the whole of South India. Moreover, under the dynamic leadership of BS Yeddyurappa, Karnataka broke boundaries of development, not only curtailed to the cities, but also drastic agricultural changes that affected the farmers. A separate budget was created for the farmers, and as a result productivity improved. Farmers were self-sufficient, farmer suicide rates dropped, and if it wasn’t for those steps, Karnataka would’ve had as high rates of farmer suicides as the Vidarbha region. In the cities, electricity issues were well addressed, businesses thrived and foreign investment was at an all-time high. And then there were the bad-lights highlighted upon the government which brought the downfall of Yeddyurappa, and that brought a downfall of the governance as well, followed upon by leaders who were not of the Chief Ministerial material. I do not have anything against Yeddyurappa, if at all, I support him and endorse his politics. If at all, he has only been a victim of the biased media, nothing more than that. His reign brought the Reddy Brothers scams that concerned the mining scam that looted Karnataka of its precious Iron Ore, only to be sold to China. For that, Yeddyurappa cannot be blamed, it is the higher party leadership who are at stake to be blamed. The only blames that Yeddyurappa can be responsible of, is the housing scam, for which his family was part of. But now, we don’t we stand at an absurd irony? If Yeddyurappa, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, can be ousted for a housing scam, shouldn’t we even oust all those other corrupt ministers who are all dealing with such similar charges?! What about justice? Now, to put a final nail to it, I would like to bring forth that it is this same man, Yeddyurappa, who brought so much of development for the farmers that no other Chief Minister could do as well. Now, if we can’t oust all the corrupt ministers(which forms a vast majority), it is not right to oust that minister who has been charged, but has done great works for the welfare of the state.
I had been speaking to a friend’s father recently, and he kept debating on why Yeddyurappa deserved to be ousted. To that, I said to him, “Aavellaru tindi, media-ge tinnuvu koduthare; avu tindi, aadare media-ge enu kodudilla” (they eat, but feed the media as well; he(Yeddyurappa) ate, but didn’t give the media anything), which made him laugh; he had nothing to say. He knew what I meant with my point.
And now that Karnataka saw Yeddyurappa getting disgraced at the hands of the BJP senior leadership, he went ahead to form a party of his own. Many a few ministers left their high-regarded posts, only to deem their faithfulness to his cause, but unfortunately, the cause is a lost one after all these months and years. Here we are now, with everyone losing their nerve for BJP, and gaining faith in other parties. Kumaraswamy has, especially, had a lot to take advantage from this downfall of the BJP. What more was the canvasing of BJP candidates at the hand of Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, who had nothing else to speak of other than the centre. How the F*** should the Central Government matter while electing for the state?! It was a ridiculous event, but nothing can be expected from the BJP in Karnataka, and that was why the people of Karnataka have always favoured regional parties. But what more horrifying can a regional party sound like, if it has leaders like HD Devegouda and HD Kumaraswamy, in the form of JD(S)? So whom do the people of Karnataka turn to?
The Congress in Karnataka as well has always had a strong representation in government. SM Krishna proved to a good leader, in showing Bangalore its heights of the world stage, lime-lighted alongside cities like Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Many in Karnataka, especially Bangalore, regard him as one of the best Chief Ministers that Karnataka has ever seen. But what about after him? Has the Congress traveled on the path of his reputation, to build many more leaders of his caliber? – Well, unfortunately – NO! The Congress has suddenly found itself in an extreme minority, ever since the JD(S)-BJP coalition government in 2003 found its way through. What’s more disheartening to see is that the candidates that have been given representation from the Congress don’t seem to be promising enough. Perhaps, coming from the bad leadership of the Congress at the state-level, and also disputably at the central-level as well.
And here we are now, here we stand. With an enormous number of corrupt candidates, who do not have an exceedingly good track-record in leadership, as well as various forms of criminal cases filed against them. Only a few good samaritans, who lack the publicity and distinction that the former have; but have good promise to take us in the right direction. And yet, we lose in the end. Now who do we choose if not the BJP??