BANGALORE: The Siddaramaiah government’s performance has not been a box office grosser in the last 100 days. Produced, directed and scripted solely by chief minister Siddaramaiah, the Congress government’s 100 days in office on Tuesday, with the focus being on Ahinda(acronym for minorities, backward classes and dalits) has not been a fast paced thriller, with the weak links being its execution of programmes and shoddy public relations.
The Anna Bhagya scheme – Re one per kg rice to BPL families – set the government’s agenda of its intentions to deliver. But the ground work for its implementation was lacking resulting in the scheme being postponed thrice before being launched. The logistics of procuring the rice and its distribution was not thought of before announcing it in haste, embarrassing the government on missing its own deadlines.
According to a senior Congress leader, some good decisions were taken, but performance of some ministers especially the senior ones holding key portfolios has not been to the mark. Many ministers are not known beyond their constituencies. Apart from K Patil, RV Deshpande and TB Jayachandrachandra among the seniors and juniors like Dinesh Gundurao or Krishna Byregowda, the others are yet to make an effort to reach out to the people and party workers,” he added.
Besides there was an over emphasis of this government being for the OBCs. The controversy over removing former PM HD Deve Gowda’s portrait was a avoidable one. The fight by Siddaramaiah as opposition leader on illegal mining is missing except an announcement of constituting fast track court. I rate this government’s performance below 50%,” a political analyst said.
JD(S) floor leader in the legislative council M C Nanaiah said corruption and transparency in administration which was one of the reasons for the BJP government’s downfall continues to haunt the present government. Though the cabinet set a deadline of July end for all transfers, the exercise is still on and many Congress legislators are upset that cleansing of senior bureaucrats posted in the previous regime has not been done,” a Congress functionary maintained.
Regarding schemes implementation, they lacked foresight. A good programme of supplying milk to school children has gone awry as sugar is not being supplied and NGOs monitoring its implementation have been asked to fend for themselves,” Nanaiah said.
A bonanza for Siddaramaiah has been a good monsoon, rather an excess one. Former legislative council chairman BL Shankar said: Good rains resolved half the government’s problems. However due to the legislature session and bypolls, focused attention of the government was distracted.”
The government started on a note of promise. Selling rice at low prices and enhancing housing assistance to poor families, and making milk part of the school mid-day meals have been welcome welfare measures. If people’s everyday experiences with the administration do not seem very different than under the previous governments, it points to the depths of retail corruption in the state’s administrative machinery. The present government, which has a set of talented older and younger ministers, needs to make serious and sustained efforts to change this institutional reality. Critical areas of urban and rural governance should be tackled without delay and a larger vision of governance for the state has to evolve,” said Chandan Gowda, Professor of Sociology, Azim Premji University
