Not a day goes by without Karnataka making national headlines. Currently, the administration is in a mess and the main news in question is the flooding in the city and how people of Bengaluru have been thrown out of gear.
The warning signs were there, but the Congress-led administration has completely failed to tackle the situation. Bengaluru which is synonymous with Karnataka for being the capital city and the IT hub of the country has become a joke owing to flooding, heavy traffic and loss of property.
Congress leader and Bengaluru in-charge minister, D K Shivakumar conveniently blamed the weather and said that rains are not under his control. He however lost sight of the fact that it is the city’s infrastructure which is the problem. Buildings have been built on lakes and the drainage system is a mess as a result of which the water has nowhere to go.
The question now is why is the administration in Karnataka failing to such an extent. The Congress appears to be busy sorting out its own mess and in this process has completely forgotten that the people of the state had voted the party to govern and provide better administration.
The scam ridden Congress has been hit by one controversy after another. The party is also dealing with factionalism as a result of which the administration has come to a guiding halt. When one section is too busy saving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s chair there is another plotting as to who the next CM could be. In all this, it is the people of the state who are suffering the most.
Bengaluru is an ATM for Congress
While there are problems galore across the state, the biggest issues are being faced by those living in Bengaluru. When asked what has happened to the administration in the city, BJP’s spokesperson S Prakash asks, ‘is there an administration.’
Prakash tells Organiser that Bengaluru is being treated as an ATM by the Congress. The entire government of the Congress is driven by the real estate mafia. This unholy nexus has led to haphazard constructions. The greed is such that there is no focus on the roads, drainages most of which are blocked as a result of which there is such excessive flooding that is taking place, he further adds.
Giving more examples of the Congress real estate nexus, Prakash asks why is there is a need for a sky deck or another NICE road or the Tunnel Road. These are done only to make money and these projects are not driven scientifically.
He further adds that D K Shivakumar is playing a smart game. His nexus with the real estate is well known. He knows that owing to corruption charges Siddaramaiah is on a shaky wicket. He has used this to his advantage and is getting all the approvals from the CM. Not that this was bad enough, now Home Minister Dr. G Parameshwar is asking that his constituency, Tumkur be added to the Greater Bengaluru project. This is being done only so that the real estate value in his home town goes up.
While the city is in doldrums, why is Shivakumar going to Wayanad where Priyanka Gandhi is fighting the by-elections after her brother Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat, the BJP spokesperson also says.
Troubles for Congress getting worse
Siddaramaiah is clearly on shaky grounds following the MUDA scam. This has led to speculation that he would asked to step down as the CM. He however clings on to the post and says that he is going nowhere until proven guilty by a court of law.
The Congress high command is a worried lot as there is growing factionalism in the party in Karnataka. On October 14, the family trust of Congress chief, Mallikarjuna Kharge withdrew its request for a civic amenities site in the Aerospace Park in Bengaluru. This comes close on the heels of land grabbing allegations involving many of its leaders and in particular the CM himself who is embroiled in the MUDA scam.
Karnataka watchers say that the decision by Kharge’s family trust was taken after Siddaramaiah decided to return the land to MUDA under pressure.
What is also making matters worse for the Congress is that the bad press it gets on a daily basis. Not a day goes by without a scam or a failure in administration being reported. Amidst all this the party is also battling an internal crisis over the leadership. The likes of Parameshwara and Public Works Department minister, Satish Jarkiholi have been chief ministers in waiting. They are said to have held secret talks , which has led to fresh speculation that there could be a change in leadership.
Political experts say that the party has no time to govern the state. There are issues in every corner of the state, but is not being addressed as the Congress has enough and more problems of its own. To be sure these are problems it has created for itself.
The last thing that the Congress would want to lose a state like Karnataka, which has become its cash cow. While trying its best to safeguard Siddaramaiah, it is also battling the number of CM aspirants, a list which is only increasing by the day.
With high command in fire fighting mode and the Karnataka Congress fighting off dissent and indulging in widespread corruption the ultimate sufferer is the state of Karnataka.
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