On Sunday, former union minister Shashi Tharoor stated that people in Karnataka were exhausted of “40% commission” and wanted “100% commitment” that the Congress party would provide if they were voted to power in the upcoming assembly election. Tharoor also noted that the Congress was ready to tackle the “serious deficiencies” in state-level and urban-level governance in Bengaluru and the entire state of Karnataka, and that they have come up with a number of “very specific policies” to fulfill the essential needs of the people that have not been met. Additionally, he criticized the BJP-led state government for collecting 40% commission from contractors, unaided private schools, and even some religious institutions on the grants that they receive from the government. The Karnataka Assembly election is just a month away. In the context of some Congress members joining the BJP, Shashi Tharoor expressed disappointment and questioned why they would go to a party that has opposite values and principles to the Congress. He said that he finds it difficult to understand and that those who have joined the BJP will have to repent their choices as they see how they are treated in their new home.
It sounds like Mr. Tharoor is expressing the Congress party’s commitment to improving the infrastructure of Bengaluru, which he believes has fallen short of its former status as a point of pride for both the state of Karnataka and India as a whole. He seems to suggest that both state and urban-level governance are facing significant challenges, but that the Congress party is ready and willing to take on these problems.
