BENGALURU: The sharp exchanges between Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and DCP Yogesh have once again drawn attention to how leaders handle the transition from power.
The incident that took place on Tuesday highlighted the former CM’s struggle to adjust to a life without the full perks of office.
As chief minister, Siddaramaiah’s car would always be waiting for him.
As a former CM, he now has to wait for the vehicle to arrive. This apparently caused an irritation that left him twiddling his thumbs and apparently short-tempered enough to berate a senior police officer in full public view.
The loss of status extends beyond protocol.
Siddaramaiah is not entitled to an official residence as a former chief minister. Yet the prestigious Cauvery bungalow (the official CM residence) has been allocated to him through his son, Yathindra Siddaramaiah.
This is not the first time the house has been secured by proxy.
During the 14-month coalition government when Siddaramaiah was not the CM, the same residence was allotted to his close confidant K.J. George, effectively keeping it at the former CM’s disposal.
By contrast, then-Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy chose to stay at the Taj Hotel during that brief coalition period.
The present Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar occupies Kumara Krupa.
Political circles are abuzz with talk that Siddaramaiah is angling for a larger role, recalling the coordination position he held during the coalition government. So far, no such arrangement has materialised.
Adding to the irony, D.K. Shivakumar, whom Siddaramaiah kept out of the Cabinet for several months in his first term, is now the Chief Minister, while MLC B.K. Hariprasad, who was kept out of government throughout Siddaramaiah’s second three-year term, is the party president.
While some accept the loss of official perks with equanimity, others find it harder to let go.