Issue 7 | 30 Dec. 2006

Confident CM

As the year 2006 draws to a close it is important to take a closer look at the political leadership of the state. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has been showing hope and making some right moves, although it is too early to come to conclusions. The young CM was expected to show some of his famous father's unorthodox style of approach. But a more mature mind seems to be his strength.

As the CM stepped into the seat of power he was greeted with a volley of problems, especially the worsening condition of the infrastructure which the outgoing CM Dharam Singh totally ignored in the name of coalition politics. Picking up the ropes from where it was left, he is showing progress with a number of large projects being implemented. A concrete move was made to make the Greater Bangalore plan a reality which itself shows the government's confidence to handle big challenges, but the success will remain in the effective handling of administrative issues which will come into place in early 2007.

Another menace created by land grabbers is being tackled carefully, although it is the Devegowda-land developers' rift that had sown the seeds for addressing the matter. The government's commitment to arrest the growth of IT in Bangalore, but impress upon them to move to Tier 2 cities like Mysore is a timely move. The CM had shown great confidence in facing debates from media and his critics by down to earth logic which speaks well of his approach. The language policy has been facing all round criticism, but with no decision yet, it is eagerly awaited.

The CM has been attacked for amassing wealth through immoral practices, but it is a national epidemic which requires better laws to tackle them. Eventually what matters for the public is the poise and confidence to handle issues, which Kumaraswamy seems to handle with ease.  Hope seems to reflect in the CM's face, but what remains to be seen is the infamous success rate of leaders.