A mid-term appraisal of the Congress government in Karnataka

Even as the National Democratic Alliance under Nitish Kumar celebrates the massive blow it delivered to the Rashtriya Janata Dal-Congress-led Mahagatbandhan in Bihar last week, the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka is completing half of its term later this week (November 20). It is worth examining the government’s performance so far.

The Congress rode to victory largely due to two reasons in the 2023 Assembly elections in Karnataka: it guaranteed five schemes; and it focused its campaign on the disillusionment of the electorate with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had corruption charges against it.

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The party has successfully rolled out the five schemes — Gruha Lakshmi, Gruha Jyothi, Anna Bhagya, Shakti, and Yuva Nidhi — as part of its social welfare agenda. These schemes have benefited a large cross-section of the electorate. Multiple studies show that the five schemes have eased women’s mobility, contributed to their financial autonomy, improved access to basic services as well as overall household well-being.

However, the schemes have cost the government close to ₹1 lakh crore. Ruling party legislators bemoan the fund crunch, which has hampered development work in their constituencies. The government’s financial situation is further strained because it has had to clear the unpaid bills of contractors left by the previous BJP regime. The fiscal burden of funding the five schemes has resulted in sluggish capital expenditure. The government has hiked taxes and prices on essential goods and services to mobilise resources, which has not gone down well with the poor and the middle classes.

To its credit, braving all the odds and pressures, the government has conducted its second Social and Educational Survey. It did so after shelving the first survey report of 2015, apparently at the behest of the party high command.

As acrimonious debates around the survey and the caste numbers it might throw up raged on, some groups also started bargaining for their right to occupy the Chief Minister’s post in the event that the incumbent, Mr. Siddaramaiah, is replaced. The differences between the Chief Minister and his deputy, D.K. Shivakumar, keep surfacing from time to time, exposing ruptures in party unity. Ministers aligned with Mr. Siddaramaiah have been frequently visiting Delhi to reiterate the party’s ‘one man, one post’ doctrine. They have been showing their support for Mr. Siddaramaiah to complete his full five-year term and also been advocating for the removal of Mr. Shivakumar as president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. Mr. Shivakumar’s supporters have been quick to rally around their leader. All this seems to be damaging the government’s public image. The reluctance of the top brass of the party to enforce discipline and put to rest the tussle over leadership issues, as well as the lack of clarity on whether Mr. Siddaramaiah will continue as Chief Minister for a full five-year term, has only intensified factionalism, resulting in ministers holding separate breakfast and dinner meetings.

The government, which came to power highlighting the BJP’s alleged corruption, has itself been plagued with allegations of corruption. A contractors’ association that had relentlessly campaigned against the alleged ‘40% commission’ under the previous BJP government has now claimed that corruption has “doubled” under the Congress administration. The Congress also finds itself facing several scams — the multi-crore scam involving the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation and the alleged illegal allotment of 14 sites by the Mysore Urban Development Authority to Mr. Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi, which have since been surrendered.

While a few Ministers have tried to bring about systemic changes by introducing progressive laws and administrative reforms, such as a day of paid menstrual leave for working women aged 18-52 years, others are seen largely countering the Opposition’s criticism on governance.

The administration also faces criticism by industry leaders about poor infrastructure in Bengaluru, known for its start-up ecosystem. Mr. Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, has unveiled many big-ticket projects, including tunnel roads and white-topping, besides forming the Greater Bengaluru Authority. But many say he is ignoring citizens’ voices and expert opinions.