Karnataka is a major growth centre in India. But the coming assembly elections in the state throw up many problems of a different nature. The issues seem to be who is Hindu, who is anti-national, who is anti-Kannada or terrorist. Communal tensions are looming large. Voters are confused. Surprisingly enough, the BJP is not taking advantage of the usual anti-incumbency wave sweeping over the ruling Congress. It is giving the ruling Congress the advantage of harping on the Hindu-Muslim divide. Development failures under the ruling Congress have not come to the fore. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is resorting to his own ways of mass polarization- a caste census which bolsters his stature among Dalit- OBC groups. At the same time he is backed by the concept of Lingayatism as a separate religion. Besides, he is encouraging Kannada language chauvinists and cashing in on the celebration of Tipu Jayanti. Communal disturbances have led to political murders in coastal Karnataka. The BJP for its part has blamed the Congress for engaging the support of the hard line Muslim group, Popular Front of India.
Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, is participating in the election campaign of the BJP in Karnataka. One wonders how his Hindu-Hindutva stand work in the state. For instance he has urged Siddaramaiah to ban beef in Karnataka if he is a Hindu. Siddaramaiah has said that he does not eat beef but if he liked it, he would have taken it. The Congress and the BJP have assured vote banks in the state. The average voter has little option.
Law and order has failed big time in Karnataka with rape cases lying unattended and i several cases the culprits are not even arrested. The killers of Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh are yet to be apprehended. In a case of gangrape that happened 50 days ago which was accompanied by horrific violence on the victims and where the perpetrators even filmed the incident and circulated it on the internet has sent shock waves across the nation. The rapists are still at large. Is this the kind of government that the people of Karnataka want to re-elect?