Something to crow about

By Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

They say crows bring bad luck and are associated with witches. We don’t know exactly which witch is haunting former CM Siddaramaiah who anyway seems to believe the least in demons and angels of the kind. In 2016 when he was CM, a crow sat on his car and did not go away despite being shooed by the CM’s security personnel. Maybe egged on by his loyalists, he was quick to opt for a new car but it did not save him from exiting power after the 2018 polls.

The next time, the crow got a bit too close for his comfort and pooped on his white crispy kurta when he was in neighbouring Kerala to attend a Congress function. Expecting crows to know about manners and impropriety is going a bit too far.

The ubiquitous crow is back and this time has ventured to sit on his name plate at his chamber at Vidhana Soudha. Maybe it could spell good news for the Opposition leader...maybe his name plate could change to something like CM, a dream he still nurtures? Who knows what will happen in Karnataka politics two years from now considering the tumultuous happenings. Maybe the crow knows better.

Angry old Siddu

Politicians are not the sort to forget and forgive in a hurry and Siddaramaiah is no exception. People might have forgotten that he suffered an embarrassing defeat as CM at the hands of JD(S) candidate, G.T. Deve Gowda in the 2018 Assembly polls but not the veteran leader. Almost three years after his defeat,Siddaramaiah is still nursing his wounds. This became evident when he visited his erstwhile constituency for a function. On seeing the people who had gathered to welcome him, the ex-CM’s blood pressure shot up and he shouted saying, “You defeated me in the last election and now you come here to welcome me?”

The crowd had no reply and silently disappeared as fast as they had gathered. Maybe Siddaramaiah can forget but not those who engineered his defeat in his home turf, that too when his popularity was at its peak. Chamundeshwari and Siddaramaiah have no doubt grown miles apart.

Common man’s CM breaks promise

Politicians should not make promises they can’t keep. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai can inevitably be spotted by citizens whizzing around town with his cavalcade but not before the roads are cleared and zero human movement is ensured. So what happened to the promise he made soon after assuming office that he would not avail the zero traffic facility and would not accept garlands or even a guard of honour? Not only Bengaluru, he even insisted on zero traffic on his trip from Shiggaon cross to Hubballi during the Hangal bypoll. Whether it was faraway Koppal or elsewhere, the roads had to be cleared almost for 30 minutes to allow the CM’s convoy to pass. This act of the CM has come under severe criticism. One of his latest trips was to Shivajinagar for what many averred was for ‘peace of mind’ after the Opposition linked him to the Bitcoin scam. Police security or zero traffic, peace is something Bommai can hardly dream of at least for now with the Congress baying for his blood and his fellow travellers in the BJP not even murmuring in his support.