The entire state machinery will be in the border city of Belagavi for a nine-day winter session of the state legislature starting Monday. As the ruling and opposition parties gear up for a face-off, expectations are high among people in the region. At the same time, apprehension looms large as politics often takes precedence over development.
The session being held within weeks after the fiercely fought bypolls that witnessed vitriolic campaigning from all sides, is likely to witness heated debates over several issues. Issues that are likely to come up for discussions include the Waqf Board’s notices to farmers and religious institutions; crop loss due to heavy rains; deaths of women at Ballari Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS); FIR against a Vokkaliga community seer over his remarks on voting rights to Muslims; alleged corruption in Excise Department, pending irrigation projects and the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) letter to the Lokayukta indicating wrongdoings in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) sites allotment.
The MUDA case, in which Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his family members are among the accused, is expected to generate considerable heat. The CM and his ministers have questioned the central agency’s intent in writing to Lokayukta and accused it of trying to influence the ongoing probe.
Congress’ confidence is bolstered by its 3:0 win in the bypolls and Siddaramaiah would be heading to Belagavi after a massive show of strength in Hassan. The rally in the Vokkaliga heartland seems to have sent a strong message to senior leaders in Congress that Siddaramaiah, despite facing serious charges in the MUDA case, remains the top mass leader in the party.
In a way, this session will test the opposition’s ability to put up a united front and scrutinise the government’s functioning. As things stand now, the BJP, which is a principal opposition party, is in total disarray. Lack of unity among its senior leaders came to the fore on several issues.
A faction headed by MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal had launched a protest over the Waqf Board land issue, weeks before the party under the leadership of state president BY Vijayendra started its campaign on the same issue. Many in the party believe differences among the leaders resulted in a setback in the recent bypolls. The ball is now in the court of the central leadership.
The party is unlikely to make a decisive move to completely resolve the issue but will try to patch up the differences among the warring factions. Given this scenario, the BJP would be more keen to avoid any showdown between its members on the floor of the House, rather than taking on the government.
Although, individually, the BJP legislators may be fully committed to the issues they take up, the lack of effective coordination in the opposition benches weakens their cause. This is the stage when internal issues actually impact the party’s ability to function as a responsible and effective opposition, holding the government accountable for its actions and drawing its attention to issues that affect people.
On its part, the government must make the Belagavi session count. The very purpose of holding the session in the border city is to take the administration closer to the people of North Karnataka.
As Assembly Speaker UT Khader puts it, while the Belagavi session is very important to discuss issues of the entire state, they are planning to allocate two to three days exclusively to discuss issues pertaining to the North Karnataka region.
The legislators must maintain the respect and sanctity of the session, even as some express dismay over how the proceedings are conducted. As one senior Congress MLA explains, both the ruling and opposition legislators often indulge in sloganeering and bills are passed in pandemonium without detailed discussion.
Former Vice-Chancellor of Raichur University Prof Harish Ramaswamy says that the idea of bringing Suvarna Soudha to North Karnataka was an excellent move, but it has since merely become a seasonal trip to Belagavi.
To take the decision-making process closer to people, some important departments/offices have to be shifted to North Karnataka and ministers should frequently hold department meetings apart from Cabinet meetings in Suvarna Vidhana Soudha. The government spends around Rs 5 crore annually on the maintenance of the magnificent structure.
People expect the Winter session to focus on tangible outcomes for the development of the region and not just become an annual jamboree costing several crores.