"Good work cannot win elections": S.M. Krishna

"Good work cannot win elections"
New Indian Express

Last year this time Karnataka had a Congress chief minister who had a vision for his state. He was willing to work with the private sector to improve his state capital, Bangalore. But his party could not get a majority. What Karnataka now has is an uneasy coalition between the Congress and the Janata Dal (S). Nobody knows who is calling the shots in the government. Is it Deve Gowda the JD (S) supremo or Chief Minister Dharam Singh or K Siddaramiah, the JD (S) deputy chief minister? Even the much needed and talked about cabinet expansion has not happened till now.

The man who was the face of Bangalore for five years has kept a low profile for the last five months. He has been travelling, catching up on tennis (his passion) attending Wimbledon and the US Open after many years. But till now he has maintained silence about the state of affairs.

In his first major interview to the media, former chief minister S M Krishna says that the last six years (one year as state party president and five as the chief minister) has taken a heavy toll on his health. ‘‘My workload was just too heavy and it is not an easy job for a sensitive person. Running this state is a huge challenge. I needed to take a long break, recuperate, get my thoughts together, figure out what I did right, and where I went wrong. And what I would do differently if given another chance.’’ Excerpts from the interview.

Did you focus too much on Bangalore and IT? Did you get carried away with the concept of Silicon Valley of India?

My IT focus was something the media blew up. The number of other initiatives I took did not make a big splash. Like strengthening the panchayats. The government grant to the panchayats was Rs 1 lakh per year when I became the chief minister. I wasn’t very happy about it. I believe in creating leadership at the village and town level. I raised the amount to Rs 3 lakhs. In the last Budget, in spite of successive droughts and a severe financial crunch, I increased it to Rs 5 lakhs. I had made a budget allocation of Rs 390 crores per year for the panchayats.

Everybody forgets what we did for roads. And I am not talking about Bangalore roads. We got a Rs 2,000-crore loan from the World Bank to connect the inter-district highways. The Mysore-Bangalore road was taken up for repairs. We added classrooms in government schools wherever it was necessary. We recruited teachers in spite of bureaucratic hurdles. And we have the best health system in the country today.

One of the most satisfying achievements for me was the introduction of the midday meals in schools. The fact that only 55 percent of the girls went to school in Northeast Karnataka was very disturbing. We analysed the Kerala and Tamil Nadu models. We realised that midday meal scheme serves twin purposes — of encouraging children to go to school and increasing their protein intake. A couple of years back I extended the scheme for the entire state. Today 65 lakh children (up to standard 7) have been covered under this scheme. I was hoping to extend it up to standard 10. All this in spite of a severe drought. Obviously good work cannot win elections. Give free water to irrigation, then you will win the next election.

How did you raise resources for all this?

When I took over, the liquor revenue for the state was Rs 1,000 crore. When I left office, it was Rs 3,200 crore. Of course, I didn’t create a new lot of drinkers. I just reformed the system. I set up the Beverages Corporation in spite of the strong excise lobby. And notwithstanding the drought, the increase in commodity tax was 21 percent. This money was pumped into the rural areas.

But nobody talks about it.

The MLAs should have gone to the villages and talked about all that we did. We took IT to rural areas. We introduced telemedicine in tribal areas. The Yashswini health insurance scheme covers farmers’ families for Rs 5 a month. The family is covered for any major disease. But drought washed out all our good work.

You were a strong supporter of the Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF). Today you are feeling abandoned. What did you hope to achieve?

There has been a lack of understanding of what it stood for. The BATF is a partnership between the private sector and the government. We set reachable targets. People who govern the state are overburdened with transfers and other squabbles. But the private sector gave time for the city and time is very precious for these people. The aim was to make Bangalore a world-class city.

We had planned to raise Rs 1,000 crore with the help of BATF for the city. The city itself would have raised this amount. We allowed the Task Force to borrow without any government guarantee. We did not want to depend on government revenue to develop Bangalore. Many people just haven’t understood this.

In order to avoid the inspector Raj, we introduced the self-assessment system for property tax. The property tax collection went up from Rs 100 crore to Rs 200 crore in just four years. I selected 6-7 officers who had the commitment and the potential to deliver. The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which was to wind up in 1999, was turned around with no financial burden on the citizens. It allotted 50,000 sites in four years. It became a viable proposition and helped develop the infrastructure for the city. I handpicked Jayakar Jerome who headed BDA. Today 100 parks are blooming in the city. After all, cities are the gateways to a state.

Did the timing of the Assembly elections go against you?

The party wanted the Assembly and Parliamentary elections together. We wanted to neutralise Vajpayee’s image. In all the southern states, there was an anti-incumbency wave — Naidu and Antony lost as well.

When are you planning to return to active politics?

I’ve been invited to give a few lectures in China. As soon as I return, I will tour the state and then galvanise the party.

Everybody is unhappy about Bangalore — its traffic, breakdown of infrastructure, and the apathy of the government.

We have to take some proactive steps. We need to look ahead and plan. There is so much potential. I plan to take it up with the Chief Minister.

So you’re planning to stage a comeback?

I am not envisaging anything now.

Gridlock

Bangalore’s choking traffic is distracting investors

The dictionary meaning of gridlock is obstruction of traffic caused by queues of vehicles forming across a junction and causing further queues to form in the intersecting streets. Bangalore is certainly gridlocked these days and the only topic of conversation you hear is about the total breakdown of infrastructure in the city. And the fact that nobody is particularly bothered about it.

Says Kiran Mazumdar, MD, Biocon, whose office is on Hosur Road: "The 10-km stretch generates $10 billion for the country." Driving down with her to Bannerghatta to attend a meeting at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), one feels as though one is crossing a war zone. Roads with dangerous potholes, unfinished flyovers and thousands of vehicles plying and not getting anywhere. An IIM professor remarks that his institute is at crossroads. He pauses, then says wryly, “Why am I talking about crossroads when there are no roads?”

Though investment is not shifting out of Bangalore, there is certainly a lull. Wipro and Infosys have set up centres in Chennai, which they feel is more welcoming. "Everybody is having second thoughts about expansion and new investments," says an IT professional working for a well-known MNC. Biocon, which is putting up an investment of Rs 750 crore (one of the largest in the state), is being given a run around for water and power connections.

The city's pride, the Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF), a public-private partnership initiated by the industry and government which was fully supported by former chief minister S M Krishna is at crossroads today. "All we need is a supportive hand. Krishna provided that very effectively," says a BATF member. Apparently since January nothing has moved, in spite of various assurances. And nobody knows its future.

The general consensus is that chief minister Dharam Singh doesn't quite understand what the BATF was all about. "As it was initiated by the earlier regime the present government obviously doesn't want to perpetuate it. This is limited thinking," says a political commentator. "JD(S)'s strategy is to marginalise the Congress. JD(S) has no vote share in the cities. In Bangalore it did not get even a single seat. So how can one expect any commitment for Bangalore's development," he asks. The official machinery gets its signals from the political system. This is obviously not happening in Bangalore today.