Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, on Thursday, marked 100 days in office by launching a few initiatives while also seeking to project continuity with the Congress’s flagship welfare guarantees.
An event to mark the day, held at the Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha, was attended by former chief minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, ministers, senior bureaucrats, beneficiaries of government schemes and representatives of various departments.
The government launched the CM Raitha Chaitanya programme, a CSR portal and Namma 2.0 Smart Prayana as part of the event. A book detailing the works undertaken by different government departments during Shivakumar’s first 100 days was also released.
Shivakumar, who took charge as chief minister after Siddaramaiah stepped down, said the event was not merely a celebration but an opportunity to present the government’s work before the people.
“This is not a 100-day celebration. This is the responsibility of presenting the development we promised before the people,” he said.
Shivakumar credited Siddaramaiah with guiding him through his political journey and referred to him as his “margadarshaka”. He also acknowledged the contribution of his ministers, bureaucrats and pourakarmikas in implementing the government’s programmes.
“This is not DKS government. This is your government. It is the government of seven crore citizens of the state,” Shivakumar said.
Setting out his longer-term vision for Karnataka, Shivakumar said his aim was to make the state a $1-trillion economy by 2037, ensure that there were no school dropouts and work towards eliminating poverty in the state.
Parameshwara also highlighted the government’s efforts to push Karnataka’s artificial intelligence ambitions and engage with the younger generation, particularly Gen Z. He referred to the state’s drought situation and the government’s efforts to seek assistance from the Centre.
The presence of Siddaramaiah at the event added a political dimension to the 100-day programme. Siddaramaiah said the five guarantee schemes were conceived when he was chief minister, Shivakumar was deputy chief minister, and Parameshwara was chairman of the Congress manifesto committee.
Defending the guarantees, Siddaramaiah said the BJP had predicted that their implementation would bankrupt Karnataka and leave the government without resources for development. He claimed that the Congress had implemented the guarantees within a year of coming to power and had spent ₹5.20 lakh crore on the schemes.
Siddaramaiah said the Congress had fulfilled 158 of the 167 promises in its manifesto and argued that the guarantees were aimed at reducing inequality.
The government’s 100-day event, however, comes against the backdrop of an escalating political confrontation with the BJP.
The Karnataka BJP has organised a mass rally in Ballari as a counter to the Congress government’s 100-day event. The rally follows the BJP’s nine-day padayatra led by state president B.Y. Vijayendra, through which the opposition party has sought to mount pressure on the Shivakumar government over alleged corruption and governance failures.
The BJP’s mobilisation is intended to challenge the Congress’s attempt to use the 100-day milestone to project its welfare and development record. Vijayendra and other BJP leaders have sought to portray the government as failing on governance and have promised to take their campaign against the Congress to the people.
With the Congress showcasing its welfare schemes and setting ambitious development targets at Vidhana Soudha, and the BJP preparing for a show of strength in Ballari, Shivakumar’s 100-day milestone has turned into another political battleground in Karnataka.
