National

The Mortal Krishna

The <a href=pti_coverage.asp?gid=272>Nagappa kidnapping</a> and <a href=pti_coverage.asp?gid=273>Cauvery dispute</a> show up the chief minister's abject fragility

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The Mortal Krishna
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The government's helplessness seems appalling. The brigand has managed to hold the former minister hostage for more than 100 days now. In the interim, he continues to send messages through audio cassettes dropped outside Nagappa's house in Kamagiri in Chamarajanagar district. He has even forced the government to pull out the Special Task Force (STF) from the forests. Dravida Kazhagam leader Kolathur Mani was granted bail only because Veerappan wanted him to be the negotiator.

The Opposition has naturally been making political capital out of all this. Says Opposition leader and senior BJP leader Jagadish Shettigar: "By his own (Krishna's) admission, the government's image has plummeted. It doesn't seem to have any plans on rescuing Nagappa and ending this hostage crisis. The impact of such inertia can be seen in the fall in number of tourists. Nagappa's abduction could have been prevented if the government had launched a major offensive against Veerappan soon after Rajkumar was set free."

According to Congress leaders, Krishna's problem is that he is yielding to pressure too easily. The government has been hemmed in by Nagappa's family, a number of seers of the Veerashaiva community (the ex-minister apparently wields considerable influence in some of these maths) and the opposition to appoint Mani as an emissary. In a recent show of strength, about 300 seers assembled at a day-long conference in Bangalore to hasten the process of sending Mani to negotiate with Veerappan. Finally, Krishna had to meet the seers and assure them that his government would send Mani.

To add to Krishna's woes came ex-dgp Chengalpet Dinakar's book which alleged that a ransom of Rs 20 crore was paid to Veerappan by the Karnataka government before Rajkumar was released. The retired cop also claimed that Krishna spoke to Veerappan twice over a mobile phone and that the CM's son-in-law V.G. Siddartha acted as carrier for two instalments of the ransom. Siddartha has filed a Rs 50 lakh defamation suit against Dinakar.

While such embarrassing exposes have emboldened the Opposition to seek Krishna's dismissal for "extra-constitutional activities" (talking to an outlaw over the mobile phone), the state government's inability to find Veerappan's hideout has brought to public view the absence of alternative rescue plans. Points out a senior police officer: "The government must shed its lethargy and think up some concrete plans instead of kowtowing to the Opposition demand on sending Mani as emissary. The CM must put pressure on Veerappan, seek the help of the Tamil Nadu police to patrol the forests. Krishna should also set aside his differences with Jayalalitha and talk to her about a joint operation by the two states."

The government, however, seems uninterested in such parleys. Says state home minister Mallikarjun Kharge: "We were forced by Nagappa's family and the Opposition to stop operations. At this juncture, we have to wait for Mani to negotiate with Veerappan. We are not going to withdraw the cases against Mani, but at the same time we will not oppose his application for bail."

The government's bungling has given the BJP, the principal opposition in Karnataka, an opportunity to launch state-wide protest marches against the government. It has even asked Governor T.N. Chaturvedi to dismiss the CM for his "extra-constitutional activities".

Krishna suddenly looks vulnerable. Those close to him say that perhaps the tide will turn once Nagappa is released. As for Dinakar's allegations, a campaign is to be launched to prove that much of what he has revealed was baseless. If that is convincing enough, it might help partially salvage Krishna's image.

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