Bengaluru: The year 2017 has been a defining year for Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, whose popularity has hit an all-time high. Labelled an “outsider" once, Siddaramaiah has transformed the Congress fortunes in the state and could be a catalyst in helping revive the party that was reduced to double digits in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Siddaramaiah is likely to become the first chief minister after S.M. Krishna (1999-2004) to complete five years in office and presented his record 12th budget this year. The 69-year-old leader stormed to power in 2013 amid opposition from within his own party, but has not just managed to stay put but earn the reputation of being a mass leader and champion of social justice. However, 2017 has been a mixed bag for Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the state.

The hits

Indira canteens: Arguably one of the major reasons for Siddaramaiah’s growing popularity, the Indira Canteens—a subsidised food venture targeting the urban poor—has worked in favour of the incumbent Congress government in the state. Having started with schemes like Anna Bhagya (free rice) and Ksheera Bhagya (free milk), among others, the state government has made food security a focus issue.

By-election victory: The thumping victory of the Congress in Nanjangud and Gundlupet bypolls in April cemented Siddaramaiah’s position as a formidable leader of the party and put to rest dissenting voices seeking his ouster and silencing the main opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The victory was so defining that the party high command decided to announce that the incumbent chief minister would lead the party in 2018. The elections also saw the formation of an unspoken alliance between JD(S) and the Congress, with the former not even contesting for the bypolls.

Kannada pride: The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government resurrected the issue of Kananda pride by vehemently opposing any imposition of Hindi by the centre, mandatory learning of Kannada in schools as well as mooting a proposal for a state flag—portraying the Congress as a pro-Kannada party and adding to the chief minister’s large mass following. The Kannada pride debate received much support from other non-Hindi speaking states, which had raised similar concerns about the BJP for trying to impose a national language.

Ambedkar conference: The state government organised the Dr B.R. Ambedkar International Conference—Quest for Equity. The conference saw international speakers, rationalists, litterateurs and other vociferous critics of the establishment, rally behind Siddaramaiah, hailing him as one of the biggest leaders promoting social justice. Siddaramaiah extended his AHINDA (acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits) agenda too.

FDI inflow: Karnataka accounted for 19% of all foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow into the country in the first two quarters of 2017-18 (April-September), Times of India reported, quoting Reserve Bank of India data. In comparison, Gujarat managed to attract only 1.65% in the same period, allowing Siddaramaiah to challenge the “Gujarat model of development", promoted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with that of Karnataka.

The misses

Caste census: Siddaramaiah commissioned a social and educational survey (better known as caste census)—the first since 1932—to challenge the dominant caste narrative of Lingayats and Vokkaligas (believed to be the two largest communities in the state) to provide more reservation to backward classes. However, two years since the exercise was completed, Siddaramaiah is yet to release the findings.

Watered-down legislations: The state government proposed the Karnataka Private Medical Establishment (amendment) Bill 2017, which would cap the prices of major procedures, jail time for erring doctors, setting up of redressal mechanism along with other stringent measures to check the high cost of private medical care. However, the government was forced to present a watered-down version of the bill after stiff resistance and strikes by private medical establishments. Siddaramaiah’s vision to provide universal health care (UHC) with his Arogya Bhagya scheme is also yet to take off. Other watered-down legislations include the Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Bill 2017, which conveniently kept out practices like astrology and vaastu from the ambit of the bill.

Rationalists’ murders: It has been over two years since rationalist M.M. Kalburgi was murdered by unknown persons outside his home in Dharwad, Karnataka. The inability to make any progress in the case saw many groups oppose the government. To add to troubles, activist and senior journalist Gauri Lankesh was murdered on 5 September 2017 outside her home in Bengaluru. Though the state government has formed dedicated teams to nab the culprits, they have been unable to make any progress in even identifying the suspects.

Crumbling infrastructure: Foaming lakes, pothole-laden roads, piling garbage, flooding and delay in providing basic infrastructure has been the constant narrative in major cities across the state. Bengaluru, which contributes to almost half of the state’s revenues, has crumbling infrastructure and is bogged down by lack of planning by authorities.

Farm loan waiver: The government announced a farm loan waiver worth Rs8,165 crore in June (up to Rs50,000 per farmer), which would benefit around 2.2 million farmers. However, many months after the announcement, farmer organisations claim they are yet to receive the benefits.

To make matters worse, the state agriculture department announced that as many as 3,515 farmers in Karnataka committed suicide between April 2013 and November 2017, according to a Press Trust of India report.

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