In Festive Season, it's Low Political Discourse in Karnataka
By V.S. Karnic

Bangalore, Oct 2 (IANS) For people in Karnataka who are weighed down by high prices of food articles, vegetables, fruits and flowers, the political class is not offering any cheer. It is busy in low discourse with epithets like 'rascals', 'emperor of lies', 'mentally not sound' and 'no respect for age' hurled at each other.

"This is a government of rascals," thundered Congress leader Siddaramaiah when the Bharatiya Janata Party government deployed police to thwart his party's plan to lay siege to the state secretariat.

"It (the statement) shows his culture," retorted Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.

A few days earlier, Congress spokesperson V.S. Ugrappa called Yeddyurappa 'sullugala maharaja' (emperor of lies).

Besides such colourful description of one another, a favourite expression of leaders of the BJP, Congress and Janata Dal-Secular is: "He has lost mental balance."

Siddaramaiah, leader of the Congress legislature party, is involved in a verbal duel with his former leader H.D. Deve Gowda, the Janata Dal-Secular president.

"He has no respect for my age," lamented the 76-year-old Gowda, a former prime minister. Siddaramaiah was a tall leader of JD-S until he rebelled against Gowda for 'promoting his family over party' and joined the Congress in 2006.

Gowda's dig was in response to Siddramaiah's claims that Gowda was once in such a hurry to seek help from the Congress that he drove a bullock cart to R. Gundu Rao's office when he (Rao) was chief minister in 1980-83.

Siddaramaiah, 15 years younger to Gowda, hit back saying he respects age but cannot be expected to take lying down every statement critical of him.

For some days, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was the star attraction at a brain-storming session for Karnataka ministers.

The three-day session started Sep 29 in Suttur in Mysore district, 150 km from here, and Modi gave tips to Yeddyurappa and his cabinet colleagues on team building, image enhancing and good governance.

The Congress and JD-S have criticized Yeddyurappa for holding such a session and inviting Modi to address the ministers.

The first BJP chief minister of Karnataka ticked off the Congress and the JD-S, saying, 'Let them mind their business.'

The exchanges took place as people were getting ready to celebrate Dussehra and Eid with gusto notwithstanding the high prices.

"We are more concerned with the high prices and the need to celebrate the festival. This exchange among the politicians is mere buffoonery for us," said K. Vanaja, a retired mathematics teacher in Bangalore.

However, there is unlikely to be any respite from the mean exchanges among the three major political parties.

They have an election to face, likely in November, for Greater Bangalore City Corporation.

For the last three years the city did not have an elected body. It was ruled by administrators appointed by the government.

With such stakes, the three political parties will only sharpen their attacks on one another. The name calling may well extend to Christmas and New Year.