Karnataka politics is witnessing a replay of sorts. Dramatis personae are the same. The plot and the pitch are the same. But now, the roles are reversed. Contractors, their unpaid bills, allegations of commission, and more importantly, the questions over the quality of work are all elements of political events being unravelled within three months of Congress forming its government after winning a thumping majority in the May 10 polls. The Congress’ “PayCM campaign” against BJP in the run-up to the polls saw a re-run in the form of a “PayCS” campaign against a minister in the Congress government.
The core issues that have hogged the centre stage of the political debate in the state over the last few days are; the delay in clearing the contractors’ bills of around Rs 25,000 crore; the government’s decision to constitute four SITs to review the quality of works carried out in Bengaluru during the four years of BJP rule; and the opposition BJP’s demand for a Lokayukta probe against Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, though he has rubbished the allegations.
Politically, the controversy has presented a potent weapon for the BJP to get back on its feet to take on the Congress, which has set itself a target of winning 20 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular) are trying to set a narrative against the Siddaramaiah government, using corruption as a major issue and not letting Congress push guarantees as the only talking point in the state.
Simply put, paying Congress back in the same coin appears to be the BJP’s strategy. Congress had effectively used the contractors’ allegations of 40% commission against the then BJP government as a major poll issue. It had put BJP on the defensive, though contractors are yet to provide details to back their allegations.
The BJP’s ability to sustain the campaign against the State Government depends on many factors, including a clear strategy and leadership at the state level, but for Congress, it could turn out to be a complicated issue, if it fails to handle it deftly in the initial stages. The Congress that won elections by making corruption one of the major issues cannot afford to let the debate hover around corruption in its administration even as it pursues alleged irregularities in the previous regime.
The delay in releasing the contractors’ bills due to ongoing probes or shortage of funds, or any other reasons best known to those in power could further push the contractors to take on the government. Many of them are said to have taken loans to complete works and are in distress. They have knocked on the doors of the Raj Bhavan and sought help from the opposition parties to bring pressure on the government. The contractors have set August 31 as a deadline for the government to release the funds.
The opposition BJP is planning to meet the Governor on Monday with a demand for a probe against DK Shivakumar and Agriculture Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy. The agriculture minister’s issue is not linked to contractors. The Raj Bhavan had received a letter allegedly written by the agriculture department officials making corruption allegations against him. The government termed the letter fake and ordered a probe into it.
For now, contractors seem to be caught in the political crosshairs as the Congress government wants to investigate the works done by them during the BJP rule. But the alleged nexus between the contractors and politicians was the reason for the rot in the system and is a very sad commentary on the state of affairs.
While many British-era buildings are still standing strong, the quality of many roads and bridges constructed much later speak volumes about shortcomings in our system. It’s high time we have a transparent and efficient system right from calling tenders to executing works so that contractors do not suffer due to delays in payments and people due to substandard works. If those in power claim that such a system is already in place, why are we not seeing any results?