The problems most coalition government usually face is already visible in the Congress -JD(S) alliance just within few days. HD Kumaraswamy did not have people’s mandate to govern the state but he is sitting on the Chief Minister’s chair at the mercy of the Congress Party. Kumaraswamy while speaking to reporters after garlanding the portrait of former Congress Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his 54th death anniversary, said, “mine is not an independent government. I had requested the people to give me a mandate that prevents me from succumbing to any pressure other than you. But today I am at the mercy of the Congress. I am not under the pressure of the 6.5 crore people of the state.”
It is very clear from this statement that HD Kumaraswamy is well aware of the fact that his party does not hold any real power as the actual power lies is in the hands of the Congress party . As CM of Karnataka he is only a symbolic chief executive of the state as Dr. Manmohan Singh was a symbolic prime minister without any real power in his hands. He further said, “The people of the state rejected me and our party. I had sought an absolute majority. I have heard the statements of farm leaders too and how much they supported me.” This acceptance tells us the truth that he will not be able to take independent decisions for the benefit of the people of Karnataka instead every decision taken will be under the influence of the INC. The leaders of the Congress will have free hand for corruption in his government, with people like DK Sivakumar who is facing illegal mining case and disproportionate asset case, Karnataka will be looted to fill the pockets of the Congress’ leaders. According to reports the coffers of the Congress are running dry because the corporate donation is low. Now HD Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, the corporate of the state will be pressured to make donations to the Congress party. Hence it seems HD Kumaraswamy will work more for Congress party rather than the people of Karnataka in upcoming months and ultimately poor and marginalized section of the state will have to bear the burden of this alliance.
The above mentioned statement also suggests that Kumaraswamy is upset with the people of Karnataka for not electing him with a majority in the government. The hunger for power forced him to go with an unholy alliance with the Congress despite the mandate of the people being against both of them,but now the way he is showing his allegiances with the Congress publicly is even more shameful. Mr. Kumaraswamy expecting from the people for a full majority is funny because his party won just 37 seats out of 224 which is not even one-third of the seats required for the majority. Janata Dal (Secular) has not been able to win a single election with a majority on its own, the party is restricted to the Southern Karnataka and its core voter base being the Vokkaliga community.Now after the Congress-JD(S) alliance despite Kumaraswamy sitting on the CM chair but then the strings of his puppet government are in hands of the Congress .
There is a set of problems in the alliance with infighting between leaders going on at full scale over the ministerial positions. It will be interesting to see how long the government survives but whatever the term they are in power the people of Karnataka will suffer. The puppet government with string in the hands of corrupt leaders such as DK Sivakumar shows that the bad days of Karnataka is not over yet despite voting Congress party out of power in the assembly elections.
