Anecdotal recall

Many years ago, when preparations for the Karnataka budget were on full swing, the then chief minister summoned his secretary to his residence. The chief minister was in an animated conversation with a stranger on what should be the plan size for the state.

The secretary was instructed that it should be fixed at a certain figure. The officer tried to explain that the number suggested was much beyond the state’s resources, but the boss refused to budge even after the finance minister and other top bureaucrats tried to convince him. The stranger on whose advice the plan size was fixed was the chief minister’s numerologist. Interestingly, the chief minister successfully argued his case before the planning commission and even got the inflated figure sanctioned.

Many such incidents and anecdotes form a part of Governing an Indian State: Karnataka in Focus authored by A Ravindra, a distinguished retired civil servant. In a brisk narration, the author records India’s journey after Independence, right from the Constituent Assembly that framed the Constitution to the first general elections to present-day politics, highlighting important milestones that defined the country.

Ravindra provides interesting insights into how language was a contentious issue at Constituent Assembly meetings with fanatics demanding a pre-eminent position for Hindi. T Chennaih, a delegate from Mysore, state would insist on speaking in Canarese (Kannada) to make a point that people from the South did not understand Hindi. He also recommended that the President of India should alternatively be from the north and the south.

While elections are the pride of democracy, it is blemished by unaccounted money that comes to the surface to be distributed among the voters. R Gundu Rao, who was the chief minister in the 80s, had his own take on this and believed that huge spends during elections generate large-scale employment with those in petty businesses like garland sellers, shamiana and public-address system vendors, taxi operators and pamphlet printers making windfall profits. The chief minister had a point, the author concedes.

Explaining the dynamics of politics, the book describes how not just bureaucrats, but even senior politicians come under pulls and pressures from their bosses.

When M Veerappa Moily became the chief minister, he was keen to have a compact council of ministers not exceeding 25. But under pressure from the then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao and other quarters, he had to increase it to 42. Many departments had to be split to accommodate these ministers. For instance, the industries department, which until then had one minister, was divided into five.

For the layman, the book serves as a hand guide, as it explains the role of the three organs of democracy — the executive, legislature and judiciary in simple language, while offering a critique on the functioning of the media, which is regarded as the forth pillar. The author also traces the history of Karnataka from the time of reorganisation to the present, covering important developments like land reforms, empowerment of backward classes, decentralisation, Cauvery dispute, special status to north Karnataka, industrial development and IT revolution, not forgetting to mention how Bengaluru is bursting at the seams due to poor infrastructure.

The author concludes by suggesting several reforms to usher in a new system of governance: give a serious consideration to simultaneous elections to Parliament and Assemblies, improve the quality of legislative business, lateral entry into service to attract specialists and transparency in judiciary, to mention a few.

Corruption remains the biggest malaise, says Ravindra, as he reveals how he was transferred out of Bangalore City Corporation as Commissioner when he refused to handover road projects to certain favoured contractors.

The book is an impartial commentary on the march of the nation, with the author being honest in his comments, without taking sides with one political party or the other. A must read, especially for those with an interest in history or politics.