Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Birthday and the Birthday Message....

It is ‘birthday’ time for the ruling party in Karnataka as it completes one year. And we find the government blowing its own trumpet, well almost as a team (though seven ministers were missing)! Though there are contrasting views on the ‘why’ of this celebration, the more important question is about the cost of this celebration. Does the government really care for the taxpayers’ money? Would the citizens ever come to know the total expenditure incurred on this celebration?

The Chief Minister and his team should know that the people will judge a government not on the basis of its promises but on the basis of its performance. The BJP government headed by Mr B S Yeddyurappa did make a lot of promises. But an assessment of its performance reveals many unpleasant things like church attacks, pub attack and sporadic incidents of communal violence and these are not the kind things any government will be proud of.

Even if we excuse the government for all its failures of one year, however grave the mistake by the government and however difficult to excuse the government for it, the uncertainty remains whether such unpleasant events would recur or would such unpleasant events disappear and pave the way for a better and peaceful Karnataka? Would the remaining years too turn out to be equally futile? Would the government, in future too, be found celebrating its achievements which weren’t there?

Mr Chief Minister you have said that the people have given you a birthday gift in the form of 19 loksabha seats. What is going to be your gift to the people of Karnataka for the next four years? Remember not to spend the taxpayers’ money for redundant and needless practices like ‘anniversary celebrations’, ‘gangajal distribution’ or ‘pilgrimage subsidy’ but for nobler causes like healthcare, education, poverty alleviation and employment generation.

No comments:

Post a Comment