Political confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties often takes precedence over substantive public concern. The ongoing session of the state legislature – the first after the new government headed by DK Shivakumar assumed charge – is no different.
The stand-off between the Congress and BJP over the induction of a legislator facing serious allegations in a case of multi-crore financial irregularities in the Karnataka Maharishi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited (KMVSTDCL) disrupted proceedings in both houses of the state legislature for the entire week. The BJP is demanding the resignation of Planning and Statistics Department Minister B Nagendra, citing corruption charges. The Congress is backing its minister. They are blaming each other for disruptions in the Legislative Assembly and the Council.
No party seems to be doing enough to end the stalemate. So much so that the legislators from the opposition and the ruling party, including many ministers, have resorted to protests and counter-protests on the Vidhana Soudha premises. Around the same time, many Bills were passed in the Assembly amid the pandemonium, making a mockery of the legislative process.
Most parts of the state are reeling under a drought-like situation; the Cauvery water crisis stares us in the face; a massive fake-drug manufacturing and repacking racket busted earlier this week raises serious questions about patient safety; farmers in villages on the outskirts of Bengaluru are protesting against a township development project that threatens to displace them; and the credibility of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) has hit a new low. None of these issues were taken up for any meaningful discussions in the session.
The government must proactively engage with opposition leaders to end the deadlock so that issues from across the state can be discussed and acted upon. It is absurd for the ministers to stage a protest outside Vidhana Soudha, during the session, accusing the opposition of disrupting the proceedings, while Bills get passed amid the din. The developments over the week give people the impression that the political stand-off suits both sides.
Congress and BJP leaders admit the gravity of the drought situation. Soon after cabinet expansion on August 3, the CM directed the ministers to visit districts and to submit a report. Appealing to the Opposition to cooperate with the government in discussing pressing issues, Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister Dr G Parameshwara informed the Council that the state is experiencing such a severe drought after 75 years. Several rural areas are facing severe drinking water shortage. Water is supplied using tankers. Fodder for livestock is becoming scarce. Migration from rural areas remains a serious concern.
Opposition leaders had also visited several parts of the state to get first-hand information on the crisis. They accuse the government of failing to take adequate measures to provide relief to farmers. They too claim they are eager to discuss the drought situation. However, Congress and BJP leaders’ claims of willingness to discuss drought and other pressing issues in the Assembly and the Council are not matched by their efforts to create an ambience conducive for meaningful debate.
Politically, the Congress central leadership’s decision to induct Nagendra into the cabinet has handed a potent issue to the BJP to take on the Shivakumar government. In June 2024, Nagendra, then a Minister for the Scheduled Tribes Welfare Department in the Siddaramaiah government, resigned after a death note left behind by a KMVSTDCL officer, who died by suicide, blew the lid off massive financial irregularities. The Congress legislator was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in July that year.
Based on a complaint lodged by Union Bank of India (UBI) against three of its bank officials, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took up the probe. The CBI probe found that approximately Rs 187 crores were pooled into the Corporation’s UBI account by the MD and Accounts Officer, and a sum of about Rs 89 crores was fraudulently diverted through forged cheques and RTGS transactions. The diverted funds were further layered through approximately 600 bank accounts and converted into cash, bullion, and luxury vehicles for the benefit of the accused. The CBI completed the investigation and filed three separate charge sheets. Nagendra figures as an accused in all three charge sheets.
However, Congress claims that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the state government had given a clean chit to Nagendra and that the money diverted from the Corporation’s bank account had been recovered. On his part, Nagendra denies all allegations made against him and questions why BJP chief ministers and ministers facing serious charges have not resigned.
The impasse drags on. Political compulsions of leaders from both sides of the aisle are understandable. The government and the opposition need to work out a mechanism to discuss pressing issues in the legislature, at least, in the remaining five days of the session.
