By P.T. Bopanna

Even as the countdown has started for Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar to take over as Karnataka chief minister on June 3, the scenario in Bengaluru is discouraging because sworn political rivals Shivakumar and outgoing chief minister Siddaramaiah have cozied up in an unethical manner.

With Congress leader Rahul Gandhi going out of the way to keep the two political rivals in good humour, good governance will be thrown to the winds.

The bad news is that the opposition BJP in Karnataka has been behaving like a ‘B team’ of the Congress. The BJP controlled by the Modi-Shah duo has been accusing that Karnataka is the ATM of Congress in the country, but have not bothered to set their house in order in the state.

According to media reports, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have come to a “mutual” understanding that Siddaramaiah will continue to stay in the chief minister’s official bungalow ‘Cauvery’ even after demitting office and remain there till 2028.

Shivakumar will stay at his private residence for the time being and shift to another government bungalow later.

When Cauvery is a designated government bungalow for the chief minister, why Siddaramaiah should continue to stay there even after he ceases to be in office. Huge amounts have been spent on ‘Cauvery’ before designating it as the official residence of the chief minister.

For official purposes, Siddaramaiah is only an MLA. He is not entitled to occupy chief minister’s bungalow till 2028. This looks like the tail wagging the dog.

These developments give the impression that Siddaramaiah will be calling the shots and going to be the power behind the throne.

The time has come for the BJP high command to carry out a major surgery to make the Karnataka unit effective in playing the role of an opposition party.

The incoming chief minister Shivakumar is known for his links with money bags and he is surrounded by power brokers. Another worry is his links with godmen and astrologers. Shivakumar’s political track record is controversial. His agenda should be a clean and efficient government. If he has to continue beyond 2028, he has to mend his ways and keep the governance transparent.