South India: Tropic of Caprices

A Map Of Woes...

• According to a study, in 2005-10 national GDP grew at 8.7%. The combined growth rate of the four southern states was 7.85%.
  
• In the last three years, even Bihar and Uttarakhand grew at 16% and 14% respectively
  
• Karnataka dragged down by corrupt, irresponsible politicians
  
• Electoral corruption, freebies by successive regimes, power crisis have left Tamil Nadu in a crisis
  
• Telangana stir troubles AP
  
• Alcoholism rampant in Kerala
  

There has been many a stereotype
in the media on what distinguishes the southern states from the rest of
India. For decades after Independence, they were loosely defined on
racial, ethnic and linguistic lines. Only recently have the
dissimilarities between the regions been accentuated through the idiom
of development. The south has been seen as progressive, modern, with
high literacy rates and positive social indices; in fact, as an
understated success. The emergence of Bangalore and Hyderabad as IT and
new enterprise hubs has also contributed to the way the southern states
are perceived now.

Despite all this, in the last couple of years, the image of the four
southern states seems to have taken a serious beating—especially in this
season of national ignominy and scams, when every major revelation
seems to have some southern connection. It may be an exaggeration to say
the four big states are on the decline, but certainly, after years of
upward surge, the graph seems to have hit a plateau.

Sample this data from the CII-commissioned McKinsey report of March
2011. In 2005-10, when the national GDP grew at 8.7 per cent, the
combined growth rate of the four southern states was 7.85 per cent.
Karnataka led with 8.7 per cent. Kerala was 8.1 per cent, and Andhra
Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were 7.4 per cent each. North Indian states like
Bihar and Uttarakhand, long dubbed ‘bimaru’, had overtaken the southern
states. In the last three years the two states grew at 16 per cent and
14 per cent respectively. Other states ahead of the south are Gujarat
(11.3 per cent) and Haryana (11 per cent).

Not only has there been some levelling in terms of economy, but also
in terms of political culture in the southern states. The recent revolt
of B.S. Yediyurappa and his nonchalant attitude to corruption, casteism
and nepotism stand out. This is being compared in the local press to the
‘UP-Bihar phenomenon’, itself a stereotype. Earlier too, chief
ministers S. Nijalingappa, Devaraj Urs and Veerendra Patil had
challenged their party high command, but it was on a matter of
principle. This time around, Yediyurappa was perceived as “blackmailing”
the BJP high command to retain power, flaunting his “ill-earned money”
and dominant Lingayat community affiliation.

The circus, which went on for a week, saw Yediyurappa backing D.V.
Sadananda Gowda, a Vokkaliga, to succeed him and ensuring his victory
against Jagdish Shettar, who was the BJP’s official nominee. Shettar, a
fellow Lingayat, is also said to have had L.K. Advani’s backing. This
implies that his defeat has acquired larger connotations within the
party. bsy not only defied the party’s deadline to resign on July 28,
but even on the day he resigned (July 31), at the very last minute, he
insisted his resignation would only follow the declaration of his
nominee as the next chief minister. However, when that didn’t happen, he
successfully set up a contest and defeated Shettar by seven votes on
August 3. As expected, the 55 legislators who stood by Shettar are
threatening not to cooperate with the new chief minister.

Yediyurappa may have won a tactical victory for himself, but the
party has lost. It would indeed be a tough task for the new chief
minister to escape the shadow and debt of Yediyurappa. With many
corruption cases coming up against Yediyurappa, the new chief minister
will have a tough balancing act to do. Gowda is an MP from
Udupi-Chikmagalur and is dependent on Yediyurappa for his election to
the assembly within six months. But, Yediyurappa’s statement that he
will return to the gaddi in six months has only created more
uncertainty.


http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?277941