CM Siddaramaiah’s 2 years: Will caste game prove costly?
Mr Siddaramaiah has failed to take along everyone in the party
Bengaluru: For residents of Bengaluru city, the two-year journey of the Siddaramaiah government has been a mixed bag of fulfilled promises and unresolved problems.
Welfare schemes such as Anna Bhagya, Ksheera Bhagya, Bhagya Jyoti, interest-free loans to farmers, loan waiver and doubling the allocation for SC and ST communities are considered big achievements even by Siddu baiters.
But the failures including his inability to give a fillip to Brand Bengaluru, improve city infrastructure and provide a sense of security to citizens overshadow them all. The divide among various communities too has deepened because of a subtle caste game played by those in government said sources.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a senior leader observed that vote-bank politics adopted by Siddu and his loyalists has not gone down well with dominant communities like Lingayats and Vokkaligas. “Mr Siddaramaiah has failed to take along everyone in the party.
This divide will become more apparent in the days to come. Many MLAs are upset for over power sharing,” a disgruntled leader disclosed, an argument partially accepted by the CM’s core group who shifted the blame to “ineffective ministers” and party leaders such as KPCC president Dr G. Parameshwar.
According to the core group, the lack of co-ordination between the party and government happened because of Dr Parameshwar’s ambition to become Deputy Chief Minister but the majority of Congress leaders cutting across region and caste affiliations blame Mr Siddaramaiah for the growing chasm between him, the party and legislators.
On welfare schemes, the leaders felt the government could have been on a stronger wicket had it been more sensitive while framing its pro-poor policies.
“Any welfare measure must be popularised as a pro-poor scheme, instead Mr Siddaramaiah branded them as AHINDA (a loose coalition of minorities, dalits and backward classes) schemes which angered the upper castes. The caste census has further alienated several castes,” the source explained.