Leading Lights: SM Krishna

MANDATE 2004/ LS CONSTITUENCY WATCH - Karnataka

Bangalore contributes 61 per cent of Karnataka's GDP. So Chief Minister SM Krishna offers no apologies for being known as a chief minister who represents the urban areas, specifically Bangalore.

Having been Deputy Chief Minister in former CM Veerappa Moily's government, Krishna knows the enormity of the task of governing a state that has little money "" although 23 per cent of the foreign exchange reserves that India is so proud of, come from the 330 acres of land that constitute Bangalore's Electronic City.

While he has tried to see that the benefits of Bangalore's enrichment are spread more equitably, Krishna find himself helpless in fending off the criticism that he's chief minister for Bangalore.

Nothing seems to correct the perception. The government he led was forced to give a subsidy to farmers. But despite that among farmers there is a feeling, compounded by anger, disappointment and frustration, that he is anti-rural.

"The government has built 800,000 houses in rural areas. During JH Patel's regime.This was just 400,000. 3000 tanks have been desilted and new methods of water harvesting are being offered by the government. The Krishna government has built roads, flyovers, grade separators. The rural development ministry has the highest allocation among all the ministries. So this perception is really not correct," says Minister for Primary Education BK Chandrashekar.

The problem seems to be the inefficiency of ministers. MY Ghorpade, the minister for rural development, has not adequately leveraged his ministry to perform a political function like, say, Venkiah Naidu did, when he was minister for rural development at the Centre.

Krishna's right hand man DK Shivakumar who is also the urban development minister, is implicated in an income tax case for collecting crores of rupees for trusts, that appear to be non-existent. Another minister Roshan Baig's family is in jail for involvement in the Telgi scam.

Krishna himself is seen as an urbane, smooth conversationalist who would have been better placed as a CEO of a company (he is an MBA from the US) than in a political role as a chief minister.

In his early days as chief minister, Krishna would attend every function in Electronic City, big or small. "The reaction to him is a cultural response," Chandrashekar said.

However, there is no doubt that there is unease in the government about Krishna's longevity as chief minister. In Bangalore, ministers, led by Cooperation Minister H Vishwanath are likely to mount a rebellion against Shivakumar's disproportionate influence in the government if the Congress government returns with a smaller majority.

Most ministers are irritated by Krishna's uncommunicativeness. They say that this will have to change to face the political challenge ahead.

If the government returns with depleted numbers, and in order to stay on in power, forms a compact with JD (S) leader HD Deve Gowda, Gowda's first demand will be that the chief minister be replaced. In that situation, ministers say, Krishna will have no choice but to bow out. Several equations could change in those circumstances.