THE SHAME STORY OF KARNATAKA POLITICS

The scenes of Karnataka MLAs fighting in the assembly with their shirts torn and worst of all MLAs beating up security marshals was probably the lowest point of Indian politics. To call it a shame would be a sheer understatement but this is not the first time that Karnataka politicians have embarrassed the state.

It was only last year when 57 BJP MLAs led by illegal mining barons- the Reddy brothers held the Yeddyurappa government to ransom by threatening to withdraw support unless some of the ministers were not dropped. And this all was happening at a time when the state was suffering due to the worst ever floods that had hit the state.


The unfortunate aspect of this whole episode is that all the actors involved have made a mockery of democracy. The two unbiased members of the whole system- the governor & the speaker who are the guardians of the constitution also let the constitution down by placing their parties over state.

The tragedy is that Karnataka which was considered as the most progressive state till the 90’s has suddenly become a disgraced story. All aspects of the state have taken a major beating. For instance Bangalore or Bengaluru as it is called now was considered as one of the best cities to live in India till the 90’s. But the sudden influx of migrants due to the booming IT industry & better educational prospects crowded the city. And by the time the state woke up it was too late. The metro rail project which was supposed to start way back in 1993 finally took off in 2005 due to lack of political will. The city which was known for its greenery was turned into a concrete jungle and all main roads were dug up for the project which has made driving in Bangalore as nightmare.

The unfortunate aspect of this whole episode is that all the actors involved have made a mockery of democracy. The two unbiased members of the whole system- the governor & the speaker who are the guardians of the constitution also let the constitution down by placing their parties over state.

The tragedy is that Karnataka which was considered as the most progressive state till the 90’s has suddenly become a disgraced story. All aspects of the state have taken a major beating. For instance Bangalore or Bengaluru as it is called now was considered as one of the best cities to live in India till the 90’s. But the sudden influx of migrants due to the booming IT industry & better educational prospects crowded the city. And by the time the state woke up it was too late. The metro rail project which was supposed to start way back in 1993 finally took off in 2005 due to lack of political will. The city which was known for its greenery was turned into a concrete jungle and all main roads were dug up for the project which has made driving in Bangalore as nightmare.

Even the cosmopolitan nature of the city transformed within years. Once known as the city of pubs & the rock capital of India, Bangalore was known for its vibrant night life and women safety. But with the so called moral forces taking charge, the city’s night life suddenly collapsed with all pubs & discotheques shutting shop at 11 PM, the last movie show starting at 8-45 PM & even restaurants shutting by 11 PM. The city which was known for women safety also became unsafe for women to travel late nights. Multiple cases of women raped and in some cases even murdered put a blot on the city’s clean image.

In 2005 the Kannada film association forced a ban on all non-Kannada movies to release in the state. This was a clear violation of the citizen’s right to freedom. But the government at that time which was a Congress –JD(S) coalition remained silent on the issue and did not take any legal action against the perpetrators. The most appalling act was displayed by a group of hooligans who call themselves the ‘Sri Ram Sena’ when they openly attacked young girls in a Mangalore pub in broad day light in the name of culture and moral values.

And all of these instances have a pattern. All of them are linked to political groups in one way or the other. The political fraternity has failed to uphold the values of average Kannadigas. Not so long ago the States’ Lok Ayukta’s chief – Justice Hedges had stepped down in the wake of spiraling corruption that had entrenched the political & bureaucratic system. It was after a lot of deliberation that he agreed to stay back.

Karnataka has a history of producing renowned citizens who have made this country proud. CV Raman, Dr Devi Shetty, NRN Murthy, Azim Premji, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid are a few extraordinary Indians the state has produced. But so has the state given a person like S. Manjunath, who was killed by a petrol pump owner for exposing corruption. Manjunath was an average middle class boy who passed out from IIM but chose to work in a government company to serve his country. But yet was killed for doing his duty honestly. The Karnataka politicians are doing exactly the same thing; with each disgraceful act of theirs they are killing the proud spirit of an average Kannadiga.

DANGEROUS POLITICAL GAMES

Indian polity has always been considered the reason for all major problems in the country. History is a testimony that Indian politic’s proximity with religion and money has proved to be the most dangerous. Last week three major controversies occurred in different parts of the country exposing the volatile nature of our polity yet again.

The Koda Scandal-The Madhu Koda case exposes yet again the nexus between politics and corruption. People are not startled or bemused at this exposure as they have got used to these scandals which have been part & parcel of our polity since independence. The only thing to watch out for is that, was Khoda actually involved in the multi crore scam or is he a victim of a political conspiracy.


Investigating agencies claim to have strong evidence to nail Koda and his associates. This investigation might throw up more political names in the days to come.

The Karnataka Shame -The most shameful poltical story of the week was the Karnataka political crisis. The strong Reddy brothers from Bellary held the whole state at ransom for two weeks. Chief Minister Yeddyurappa was stationed in the national capital to save his job. Meanwhile 57 shameless BJP MLAs who were supporting the Reddy brothers were enjoying 5 star luxaries in Hyderabad. All this drama was happening at a time when the state of Karnataka was trying to get back to normalcy after the floods exterminated northern part of the state last month. The floods claimed more than 200 lives and affected 18 lakh people. Instead of working together along with the bureaucacy to rehabilitate the citizens, the Bellary brother were busy in political bargaining with the BJP central leadership in New Delhi. The series of events saw CM Yeddyurappa breaking down in tears in front of the television camera for not been able to work for the flood victims blaming the Reddy brothers. Surprisingly the very next day he was feeding cake to Janardhan Reddy in front of the media after truce was called by the two warring sides. The Reddy brothers played a principal role in this whole reprehensible act but Yeddyurappa’s leadership would have become immortal had he resigned during this period and got back to Karnataka to concentrate on the rehabilitation work. Probably the government would have fallen given that the 57 shamless BJP MLA’s supporting the Reddys would have withdrawn
support from the Yeddyurappa led government but his stature would & credentials would have bolstered several folds. But alas!! These things are only a mirage in Indian politics.

To sing or not to sing?: To sing or not to sing?-Lastly, the most dangerous contorversy of all was the Vande Matram song issue. The issue which emanated again thanks to Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind’s ‘Fatwa’ against ‘the singing of Vande Mataram’. This issue is not new and has been doing rounds in political & religious circles for centuries. According to some Muslim clerics, certain stances in the song ‘Vande Matram’ are against the basic belief of ‘Islam’. In order to avoid this controversy, the Congress had set up a committee after independence which dropped the objectional stances from the song. The issue should have been settled there, but this latest Fatwa was definitely un-called for. Despite knowing right wing Hindu groups’ fascination with the Vande Matram issue the Ulema initiated the controversy. Not only did it create an unwanted controversy which many Muslims don’t agree to but also gave a chance to some elements to raise communal temperature again.

The question of singing or not singing Vande Mataram violates the very basic right of an Indian citizen. The right wing Hindu groups want Muslims to sing Vande Matram to test their loyalty which is absurd. Similarly the Ulema issuing a ‘Fatwa’ not to sing is ridiculuos, especially given that the corrections to objectional parts were made long back. It’s an individual’s right to sing or not to sing. No one can impose its stand on any individual.

All the above issues are a chilling reminder of the vulnerable nature of our Indian polity & society. And it also underlines the fact that no matter how much as a nation India achieves on the global level, the real battle is to conquer these domestic viruses which continue to be our biggest weakness.