Challenges far from over for H D Kumaraswamy's regime in Karnataka

Amid intense political drama in Karnataka over cabinet expansion and portfolio allocations earlier this month, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy quietly visited IT czar N R Narayana Murthy at his Jayanagar residence.

Although the Infosys co-founder maintains an apolitical stance, he has a cordial relationship with the Gowdas. The new chief minister sought Murthy’s suggestions on improving Bengaluru's infrastructure, which has crumbled under successive governments despite the erstwhile Congress government creating a separate portfolio of Bengaluru Development Minister.

Murthy advised Kumaraswamy, popularly known as HDK, to keep the Bengaluru Development portfolio either with him or with his deputy and solicit the mayor to manage the rest. Apparently, he also agreed to help the government set up the Bengaluru Development Vision Group, much on the lines of the Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF), created under the S M Krishna government in the late 1990s.

While allocating portfolio last week, Kumaraswamy went ahead with Murthy’s suggestion and named his deputy G Parameshwara the man in charge of Bengaluru.

There was a political reason for HDK’s special attention on Bengaluru. His party, Janata Dal (Secular), is perceived as pro-rural and pro-farmer without a much political base in the state capital unlike the BJP and the Congress. Of 27 seats in Bengaluru that went to the polls recently, the JD(S) got two seats, while its current ally Congress won 14, and the BJP 11. Kumaraswamy needs votes from more than just farmers to have a bigger say in a ‘united opposition’ ahead of the 2019 general election.

As the new government settles down after weeks of hectic parleys between post-poll alliance partners, the JD(S) and the Congress, over ministerial berths and portfolios, and a show of strength by leaders claiming ministerial positions, it will now have to execute promises made by the two parties ahead of the state polls.

The biggest challenge for the coalition government and especially for Kumaraswamy, who has kept the finance portfolio, is expected to be farm loan waiver.  The promise, if fulfilled, will be a costly affair for the newly formed government — the implementation of the farm loan waiver would cost the exchequer around Rs 530 billion. But, farmer groups have already started demanding a complete waiver of loans and if implemented, would cost around Rs 1.15 trillion, more than half the state’s total budget of Rs 2 trillion.

On the other hand, the much-awaited cabinet expansion, announced last Wednesday, has led to dissent in the ranks of both the parties.  The highest number of ministerial berths went to the dominant Vokkaliga leaders (10), followed by Lingayats (4), the second-most dominant caste in the state.  Three cabinet berths went to Scheduled Castes and minorities each, while the Kurubas, the community former chief minister Siddaramaiah belongs to, got two ministers. 

“There was hectic lobbying in both the parties for portfolios such as Energy and PWD (both went to JD(S)), which can give them enough fund for the general elections. Given this, people are sceptical if they can get good governance,” said T V Mohandas Pai, a prominent Bengaluru citizen and a corporate leader.

With an imminent threat of a larger rebellion by dissenting Congress leaders, Kumaraswamy has reached out to powerful Lingayat leader M B Patil (Congress), who was aspiring to become Deputy CM but failed to make the cut. The faction is apparently supported by former CM Siddaramaiah, whose rivalry with Parameswara is well-known.

The Congress perhaps had anticipated it much earlier, and thus kept six of its stipulated ministerial quota of 21 to be allocated suitably to placate the dissidents in the next cabinet expansion. The JD(S) could only preserve one.