The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka led by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa is turning one on Sunday amidst the health crisis created by COVID-19. One year ago, just when the government took over, the State was faced with another crisis - devastating floods.

On the first anniversary, there is little enthusiasm for any celebration in the government. Though leaders attribute it to the health crisis, it is quite a picture of contrast to the recent first anniversary of the Union government which was marked by a series of web-based conventions and outreach programmes.

An astute politician, Mr. Yediyurappa brought his party to power by bringing down the erstwhile coalition government through defections, with the promise of better governance. The anniversary would have been an occasion to show how the promise was made good.

Financial issues

But the last one year, moving from one crisis to another and the serious financial crunch, has left the government not much to claim in terms of administration, admit leaders. “In fact, we have not been seeing any changes in terms of administration between the erstwhile coalition government and the present dispensation,” observed a party leader, who was an staunch critic of the coalition government.

He argued that this has happened mainly due to the lack of hold on bureaucracy and administrative machinery, the all-too-visible lack of coordination among Ministers and a certain confusion on whether Mr. Yediyurappa is calling the shots or the party high command has too firm a grip. There is also efforts by some sections to take advantage of the age factor of the Chief Minister, who is now 77.

Lateral entrants

In fact, there is apprehension that history might be repeating itself, with the situation being somewhat similar to Mr. Yediyurappa’s earlier stint as Chief Minister in 2008 when those who made a lateral entry into the BJP from other parties got aligned with him. So much so that those from the party cadre started feeling that they were being alienated. This paved the way for a gulf between Mr. Yediyurappa and the party, resulting in his downfall as Chief Minister.

Even now a significant number of party leaders feel that they are left out, considering that Mr. Yediyurappa is obligated to provide ministerial berths to defectors who came from other parties. Some of the defectors who got ministerial berths do not have administrative experience, which is showing up during COVID-19. Barring one or two, most of the new Ministers are yet to make their presence felt in their departments. The lack of coordination among Ministers is showing up publicly in pandemic management.

A section of party workers feel that even the party State organisation is not strong enough to intervene and provide clarity. “Since we have opted for Operation Lotus route to come to power this time also, such problems are bound to arise,” observed a strategist of the party.

Single-handed effort

However, a Minister close to Mr. Yediyurappa maintained that it is because of the COVID-19 situation that the government has not been able to focus on other issues. “This should not be seen as under-performance,” he said. “The situation with respect to development is more or less similar in all States,” he added.

Seeking to downplay Mr. Yediyurappa’s age factor, he pointed out that the Chief Minister had handled a major crisis marked by floods single-handedly in the initial days after he took over.

Amidst all this, the government is also facing criticism over sweeping legislative changes, including those to the Karnataka Land Reforms Act and APMC Act. Interestingly, even Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, backed by RSS, plans a protest from July 27. Meanwhile, the Opposition has also upped its ante on allegations of irregularities in purchase of medical equipment.

In fact, some of the Ministers admit that the government would have been in a crisis over other issues of performance if not for the COVID-19 situation, which is currently occupying all the public and administrative attention.