The State Of Bounty

THE statement, at the time, sounded like the insecurity and uncertainty of apolitician who had abruptly been pitchforked into a position he had not expected. "Idon’t know for how long I will be Prime Minister. But as long as I am Prime Minister,I shall do all that is possible to help Karnataka," Haradanahalli Doddegowda DeveGowda had told a few Kannadiga friends in Delhi a few weeks after he became PrimeMinister. Nine months down the line, Deve Gowda continues to be Prime Minister. And whilethe horizons of the humble farmer from Hassan district, Karnataka, have widened to includea range from Bangladesh to Davos, his home state is realising the portent of what wasprobably an off- the- cuff statement made last July.

A flood of promises, proposals and clearances have come Karnataka’s way in theshort period that Gowda has been Prime Minister. During the first seven months— fromJune to December 1996— over 20 major announcements, promises have been made. And thestate has received proposals worth over Rs 1,185 crore involving some form of CentralGovernment assistance. Over Rs 310 crore worth of proposals were made for railways andallied sectors in the state, and major clearances, which include loans and grants of overRs 221.5 crore from the Centre and Central agencies, have been given to projects in thestate. The only hitch would seem to lie in the sincerity to translate the promises toreality.

Hassan too is reaping the benefits of being the home district of the most powerful manin the country. Over Rs 150  ments with Central involvement and clearances to thetune of Rs 155.5 crore were given to it during the seven- month period.

Private investment, a stark indicator of a region’s importance, has also beengenerous to Hassan which is seen as receiving more than its share of attention forinfrastructure facilities. Clearances for two projects worth Rs 3,012 crore have beengranted while others worth Rs 640 crore are in the wings.

The clearances, deserving and undeserving, are coming in swift and easy as in the caseof the eco- clearance for the Rs 3,950 crore, 1,000- MW Cogentrix thermal power generationproject near Mangalore. (In this instance, however, the Finance Ministry is yet to give acounter- guarantee for the project, despite Gowda). So is the case for the 17 new sugarmills reportedly in violation of the 25 km minimum distance that needs to be maintainedbetween two mills.

The thrust of Gowda’s largesse is towards basic amenities, infrastructure and hispet sectors, irrigation and agriculture, apart from sundry political sops. Projects like aflyover and a ring road in Bangalore; irrigation OBC ties; employment generation schemes;housing schemes; drinking water and drainage facilities; and new railway route proposalsfeature in Karnataka’s long list of dreams- waiting- to- come- true. For Hassan thelist includes a Rs 35- crore airport, a Rs 14- crore comprehensive development plan forHassan city, Rs 154 crore for the development of roads, drinking water and drainagefacilities and a second broad-gauge rail route connecting Hassan to Bangalore.

Delhi’s sudden interest in Karnataka also extends to appointments to Centralagencies and institutions. After Gowda’s ascent to South Block, the National Schoolof Drama in Delhi, the National Book Trust and the All- India Council for TechnicalEducation received Kannadigas as chairmen. And Kannadigas were also appointed as heads ofthe Indian Council for Historical Research, the Indian Council for Social SciencesResearch and Shabdana, a literary translation centre in Bangalore.

The benevolence of Karnataka’s benefactor extends to his personal involvement inseveral projects in which he keeps tabs on the progress and takes time off to untangleproblems. The progress of the Hassan airport project, one of Gowda’s pet projects,receives his direct attention. Not incidentally, his son H.D. Revanna, a Cabinet minister,has been given charge of Hassan district.

Consequently, questions are being raised about balanced development across the countryand the ethics of prime ministers showering largesse on their home states andconstituencies. "The Prime Minister has been more than generous to Karnataka as faras clearances for projects are considered," admits M.P. Prakash, state minister forpanchayati raj and rural development and a senior Janata Dal leader. "For years,several state projects and proposals were stuck at various levels at the Centre forvarious reasons. And despite liberalisation, things failed to materialise as they wereexpected to, owing to the several checks and balances." Adds R.V. Deshpande, stateminister for large and medium industries: "In the past, Karnataka did not have astrong voice in Delhi to get the funds and clearances that were due to it." D.M.Nanjundappa, noted economist and deputy chairman of the State Planning Boa rd explainsthat Karnataka is not benefiting under Gowda at the cost of other states and that it isnot possible for all states to grow equally. Agrees Prakash: "What has beensanctioned or cleared for Karnataka has been under existing provisions at the Centre. Itis not as if projects have been diverted from other states to Karnataka."

Some critics even accuse Gowda of "not doing enough". Writer Patil Puttapparefers to the ‘raw deal’ meted out to north Karnataka which he says is beingcarried on under Gowda. Adds B.K. Hariprasad, former Rajya Sabha MP and senior Congressleader: "All the announcements and proposals are just publicity gimmicks to gainpolitical mileage. How many of Gowda’s promises will translate into reality isanyone’s guess."

However, one of the main purposes of  the largesse— politicalconsolidation— falls on its face in the light of the drubbing his party received inthe byelections to the Ramanagara assembly seat held by him as chief minister. Thoughsenior ruling party leaders argue that Ramanagara cannot be taken as an indicator for theentire state, no one is certain about quantifying deliverance to the electorate and at thesame time being seen as delivering.

As long as that question remains, and Deve Gowda continues to be Prime Minister,Karnataka seems set to remain the apple of Delhi’s eye.