JOIN USBoth rains, netas failed masses
This year Karnataka was witness to the worst drought in the last 40 years. The effects of the shortfall in rains were visible to anyone who travelled in the affected districts, but efforts to provide relief to affected areas got caught in political manoeuvring and one-upmanship.
As many as 142 taluks in 26 districts were declared drought-affected, after the State received only 41 per cent of expected rains.
At a time when they were required to be in their constituencies, monitoring drought relief work, most Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators were seen taking sides with their political mentors.
The State even witnessed a change of guard which led to a failure in tackling the drought — even as reports of crop losses and cattle deaths poured in from around the State.
But the indifference towards the plight of the worst affected was not restricted to the BJP.
A batch of 14 legislators, cutting across party lines, ventured on a two-week junket to Dubai and South American countries, going so far as to ignore the chief minister’s instructions to cut short their trips and return home.
In the end, with most legislators wilfully ignoring decrees to return, Shettar had no option but to plead helplessness. But, three more teams of legislators and their families, who had packed their bags for foreign sojourns, had their itineraries cancelled at the last minute because of a public outcry.
Drought-relief
On its part, the state government sought Central government assistance of Rs 11,400 crore for both short and long-term drought relief works. But, here too politics reared its head.
The BJP and Congress exchanged charges over the quantum of relief from the Centre.
While the BJP claimed that the Centre had released a meagre Rs 180 crore for drought relief, the Congress raised questions on how efficiently the money was being spent and, whether it was reaching the needy.
Under immense pressure, not only from opposition parties but also from B S Yeddyurappa, who spoke on drought as if he was an opposition leader, the State government in July announced a Rs 3,500 crore-farm loan waiver that was expected to provide relief to some 16 lakh drought-hit farmers.
Water for agriculture became the dominant political issue in the State, but the entire issue took another twist when the Cauvery River water dispute resurfaced between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu after a gap of eight years.
To get its share, Tamil Nadu approached the Supreme Court, demanding its share of water from the Cauvery. It claimed that the water was needed to sustain the state’s samba crop, especially as the there had been poor rains during the southwest monsoon.
Karnataka, which initially relented by releasing some water, later took a firm step after deciding that it could not compromise on the interest of its own farmers, considering the gravity of the drought.
As in the previous years, the dispute oscillated between the Supreme Court, the Cauvery River Authority and the Cauvery Monitoring Committee, but with no sign of a permanent solution.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha even made a quick tour to Bangalore, to generate support for release of the water.
Pending
* The Lokayukta post was vacant throughout the year. Government failed
to appoint new Lokayukta after Justice Shivaraj
Patil resigned in Sept 2011.
* Made Snana at Kukke Subrahmanya temple — the controversial ritual of people rolling on leftovers of
food partaken by upper caste — turned a huge controversy.
* Constitutional amendment Bill passed in Parliament to provide special status to Hyderabad-Karnataka region
* Legislature passed fresh Anti-Cow Slaughter Bill, much to the chagrin of opposition parties
* Call for fresh statehood for North Karnataka resurfaces. Minister Umesh Katti’s stand on the new statehood sparked row