A new optimism, high expectations mark the beginning.
Mr.H.D.Kumaraswamy, the new Chief Minister of Karnataka has taken over power in a more daring and a politically complicated manner. Yes, in politics sometimes things happen not in all rational and transparent manners.
But then political power is a reality. And now the new CM has taken over, there seems to be a great deal of earnestness and a serious minded commitment for giving the state a new deal.
Certainly the speed with which the new CM had gone about in launching the Metro Rail project would earn him a historic place in the scheme of things. All the signs of the times and his horoscope (he seems to be a great believer in god’s mercies) seem to be in his favor.
We welcome his bold decision to launch the Metro Rail which was hanging fire when his famous father was troubling the previous government. At least for now the way is clear for launching this mega project which only can clear the growing city from all its critical infrastructure challenges.
Not less important is the way his colleagues in the BJP (untouchables for the JD(S) not long ago) are going about their jobs of giving the state the much needed development boost. The DY CM seems to be a wise man with much sober visage and this augurs well for an alert vigil against the possible spoilers of the coalition. His own party man, the new Revenue Minister and BJP State unit President Jagadish Shettar had gone one more step ahead and created a precedent for transparent governance. He had vowed to fight corruption in his department, namely, Revenue.
As every farmer and the villager knows in this country that the Revenue Dept is the mother dept of corruption. For being a dept with multiple responsibilities the Revenue dept is the source of all corruptions, more so in the countryside. For the first time, a Minister has made his cell phone number public so that people can bring to his attention instances of corruption, harassment and inefficiency in government offices. Reports say his hotline has become super busy!
The Minister has frankly said that he is aware of corruption, particularly in the offices of tahsildars, sub-registrars, assistant commissioners and deputy commissioners. He also directed officials to prepare a list of corrupt officials in his dept, found guilty by the Lokayukta and action proposed against them. He said that if action is taken against such corrupt officials it will send the right message down the line. Right.
Only you have to see what is happening in the neighboring Tamil Nadu where election time is the time of bonus for the government officials! The 3000 and odd vacancies in the revenue dept are being upgraded and promotions are given to revenue officials!
Corruption no politicians talk about these days, even at the Centre, and the norms of Governance are so twisted to serve party ends the common man is the loser at all times.
Now, the Karnataka government, constituted in peculiar circumstances might invite all sorts of comments, not all favorable. But we feel there are also extraordinary circumstances when you have to make room for such extraordinary circumstances justifying a radical change in the government and the mode of Governance. We believe the new government in Karnataka justifies itself by promising a wholesale break from the past by giving development a new momentum.
And Bangalore in particular is in an advantageous position to give the state and the country, nay to the entire world a chance to be different and justify its reputation for giving India a pride of place in the world IT map. So, the people of the country and the people in the state must give all their co-operation to the new government to deliver on the range of promises that are too many and the expectations are also running high.
In particular for the much neglected rural India the particular sensitive ministries are Revenue, Co-operation and the Panchayat Raj. It is these Ministries that could make the big difference.
Image Source : election.rediff.com