Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah is not known for being a religious man or the one to believe in astrology. Recentevents, however, may probably force him to seek comfort, solace and strength, in that order, from sources other than the divine if only to come out of the slippery wicket he finds himself on today.
For, as he moves into his fourth year as chief minister this May he finds himself facing one trouble or the other, never mind the fact that some of it is of his own making.In the normal course, he would perhaps have patted himself on the back. Afterall, his tenure has been free of the infighting and corruption charges, something that was so common under the controversial BJP rule.
Siddaramiah though would readily agree that much of the credit for this would go to the central leadership of the Congress and the iron hand with which it controls the party. At least, this was the case till now.
Recent developments including the controversy over his expensive Hublot watch, the not too encouraging performance of the Congress Party in the three assembly by-polls coupled with the zilla and town panchayat elections, however, appear to bring Siddaramiah under the scanner now. Atleast as far as his party leadership is concerned.
If this was not enough, the disastrous handling of the farmers’ protest in the city early in March and the accompanying lathi- charge on the protestors, have made matters worse for the chief minister.
Even as he finds himself confronted by these problems, issues relating to governance are also coming to the fore. The latest being the repeated failure to handle the worsening power problems and the poor state of infrastructure in the state and the IT capital in particular.
Added to all this is the growing restlessness among the farmers over non-availability of assured irrigation in the wake of apprehension over an impending drought. Aboveall, the payment of cane arrears to farmers remains a matter of concern even as the powerful sugar mill owners continue to cock a snook at the government.
Of course, it all began with the needless controversy over the expensive Hublot watch which is reported to cost Rs 70 lakh.This was brought to public notice by Siddaramiah’s arch rival and JDS leaderH D Kumaraswamy. The latter wondered how a so-called “socialist” could be wearing an expensive watch,the origin of which remained in doubt.
As a flustered chief minister sought to brush aside theallegations, he was forced to make a statement in the assembly, even claiming that he had declared the watch, supposedly given by a close friend, and related details to the Enforcement Directorate.
Leadership embarrassed
The response and his decision to hand over the watch to the Speaker to maintain it as a state property may have subdued the criticism and the opposition for now. The fact,however, remains that it did embarrass the central leadership of the party.
More so as its vice president,Rahul Gandhi, had gone to town to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi for wearing an expensive suit during President Obama’s visit to India last year. It was not for nothing that he had termed the Modi government a “suit boot ki sarkar” forgetting that those living in glass houses should not throw stones, evidenced by the embarrassment Siddaramiah’s Hublot watchhas caused to the party.
Accordingly, while it may be too early to write Siddaramiah’s epitaph as chief ministerit would be naïve to dismiss speculation that he is definitely under “observation.”
Indications that all is not well in the ruling party in Karnataka is also evident from the manner in which over 60 MLAs of the party abstained from the dinner that the chief minister had hosted this month.
Then there is the open rift between old guard Srinivas Prasad and the chief minister on the one hand and former chief minister,Veerappan Moily and Janardan Poojaryon the other,on the controversial watch.
Besides, the wily Mallakarjuna Kharge, currently basking in the importance that he is receiving in Delhi as Congress MP, has reportedly expressed his dissatisfaction over the way Siddaramiah has been functioning. He is also said to be vying for the all-important post.In addition, recent statements from senior office-bearer in the party in Delhi that the state may see some major changes in terms of a cabinet reshuffle, have added to Siddaramiah’s discomfort.
Whether this happens now or after the just announced assembly polls in the five states concerned, would be known soon. Knives, however, are out as far as the chief minister is concerned. Which is why he is raking up the oft-repeated plea of a cornered politician, namely, “I am being attacked because I am from the backward class.”
In the midst of all this, Kumaraswamy’s sudden decision to refrain from commenting further on the watch issuehas perplexed his supporters while bringing a smile to the chief minister’s face. The JDS leader’s “silence,” goes the refrain, could help a desperate Siddaramiah to buy time.
