Tamil Nadu Budget wasn’t reckless populism dressed as gold coins, nor the discipline its White Paper demanded. It bet on revenue effort over revenue capacity, funding welfare through efficiency rather than new taxes. Efficiency gains are cheap consolidation, and easiest to overpromise. The real verdict awaits the annual financial statement.
Siddaramaiah wasted 3 years. Now DK Shivakumar has 20 months to perform at speed
Never-ending chaos in the Congress, over Cabinet exclusions, is ruining the governance in Karnataka. First, Siddaramaiah squandered the mandate for three years. Now, DK Shivakumar has barely 20 months to make good on his party’s lofty promises. Congress has no choice. Either perform at speed, or be ready to perish.
The leadership transition in Karnataka is the right decision taken by the Congress high command. Else, the outgoing CM would have completed a distinguished tenure in public life, retired peacefully an octogenarian. The state has a record of voting out incumbents regularly. DKS is the man to break that mould.