After its convincing victory in the Assembly polls, Congress has managed to create a feel-good factor for the party. With the Opposition in disarray, it was carefully crafting its “Karnataka model” so it could be presented in other poll-bound states and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. It did succeed in that mission to some extent. But, the Income Tax (I-T) department raids on contractors and subsequent developments in the last few days seem to have suddenly decelerated its efforts.
Nearly Rs 94 crore cash was seized during the IT raids on properties of contractors, including an office-bearer of the Contractors Association. The government refuted the BJP’s allegations of large-scale corruption, but images of crores of rupees, neatly packed in cardboard boxes splashed across newspapers and TV channels, and the opposition’s aggressive campaign to link it to alleged corruption in the system have impacted the government’s image. The ruling party leaders going on a counter-offensive by talking about corruption during BJP rule, instead of negating the allegations against their government, has not helped much.
Till now, the Congress government has managed to keep the narrative around its five guarantee schemes, despite several challenges in implementing those programmes, development works taking a hit and the state facing an acute power crisis. However, over the last few days — that too, after the dates for the elections in Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Mizoram, have been announced — the BJP has managed to push corruption to the centre-stage of the debate.
Taking a leaf out of Congress’s strategy — 40 % commission and the PayCM campaigns — that helped the party set a narrative against the Basavaraj Bommai government, the BJP has now launched an aggressive campaign calling Congress government an “ATM Sarakara”, accusing the government of using Karnataka as an ATM to fund Congress poll campaigns in other states. The party released the “ATM Sarakara Collection Tree” posters making serious allegations against Congress leaders.
It is planning to take the poster campaign across Karnataka in the next few days to erode the perception built by the Congress government. Ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls, the Congress had launched a similar campaign — PayCM — with the then CM Basavaraj Bommai’s face on a QR code.
The BJP is also going hammer and tongs against Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar after the Karnataka High Court dismissed his plea seeking quashing of the FIR registered by CBI in a disproportionate assets case. The court directed the Central agency to complete the probe within three months. If the probe report comes out just before the Lok Sabha polls, it may not bode well for the Congress.
BJP central leadership is already using the developments in Karnataka to attack Congress in the poll-bound states. BJP president JP Nadda’s tweet on money seizure indicated the party’s intent.
The issue seems to have provided enough ammo to the BJP to regain its fighting spirit that was hardly visible after its drubbing at the polls. However, it is not clear if the BJP will be able to sustain the momentum till the Lok Sabha polls. In the absence of a clear leadership in the state, the task becomes even more difficult. The BJP is yet to appoint the Leaders of Opposition in the state Legislative Assembly and Council. Appointment of a new president to replace Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, whose term ended long back, has also been delayed. Many in the BJP feel that the appointments could strengthen its campaign against the Congress.
After deciding to go with the Janata Dal (Secular) in the Lok Sabha polls, while making the appointments for critical posts, the BJP leadership has to take into consideration the party’s internal dynamics as well as leaders’ ability to work with the alliance partner and take everyone along.
Alliances can do more damage than adding strength, if there is a lack of coordination or if the partners work at cross purposes. The 2019 Lok Sabha poll is a classic example of it. Congress and JD(S) were in power in the state and went to polls together, but only to face their worst-ever performance. Internal contradictions did the damage in many seats.
For now, it looks like Karnataka seems to have become a battlefield for the national parties to fight their perception battles ahead of assembly polls in Telangana and four other states. Congress is keen to talk about its Karnataka model, while the BJP seems to be making all-out efforts to negate it. The state may not be going to polls now, but there is never a dull moment in Karnataka politics!