What does it take to be a good leader and a performing CM in a progressive state like Karnataka?

This question arises when one has a cursory look at the work and decisions that have taken place between 2013-18 by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government. The least that can be said is - the Chief Minister lost an opportunity to serve the people in a meaningful way.

The under-performance of Mr Siddaramaiah began since the time he assumed office in May, 2013. He began showing his dishonesty hours after assuming office. He did some cosmetic changes in the rice distribution scheme under the PDS run by the Central government and took undue credit by claiming that it was his brainchild. He undermined the Centre's financial contribution to distribute the highly subsidized rice to BPL families. He also wrongly projected that crores of people in Karnataka were going hungry till he began the distribution of rice.

There can't be more insult than this to hard working people of this state. This sort of false labeling was extended to the Centre's schemes - Ujjwala - free LPG for poor women, as the Mukhya Mantri Anila Bhagya Yojane and Ujala as Hosabelaku to distribute subsidized LED bulbs among others.

In his maiden year as the Chief Minister, he became so engrossed in preparing for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that he forgot to notice the prevailing drought in many districts. While spitting venom against a tall leader of the BJP, he ended up using an unparliamentary word, all for the sake of votes.

Finally, he had to clam up after getting admonished by the Election Commission. Of course, the Congress lost the poll battle to the BJP.

In his maiden budget, he began his divide and rule policy to appease only a certain sections of society. He began doling out freebies instead of empowering them. Even he had no time to study a draft legislation to ban anti-superstitious practices. He sent the draft bill to cold storage as the draft indicated that the government had the intention of banning Hindu beliefs rather than banning blind beliefs.

The same was opposed by the BJP as well as the public. Forget governing the state, he could not even have a full-fledged ministerial team. He turned out to be that helpless.

Underperformance of his ministerial colleagues became evident in the second year itself as none could show case their work to people.

When water-starved districts began demanding water for drinking purpose, the government could not even take a firm stand on providing Netravati river water to drought-hit districts. The government had no interest or time to even study the crucial Dr Kasturirangan report despite the Centre seeking its opinion.

Even after stepping into the third year in office, the government could not make its presence felt. The chief minister often got publicity for not doing a commendable job but for slipping into deep sleep in public functions. His ministers too followed his footsteps.

Even Mr Siddaramaiah's chair began shaking as there were demands within the ruling party to change the leadership. When he was trying to patch-up with his detractors, his name got entangled in the Arkavati layout land scam. The matter went to the Lokayukta and later the Justice Kempaiah commission of inquiry was set up to probe into it.

Mr Siddaramaiah, who calls himself a champion of the oppressed and depressed, had to face one more embarrassment when his social welfare minister faced corruption charges. Pillows, beds and bedspreads meant for poor SC/ST students of government hostels were purchased only on paper. When he came under the media glare and the BJP began questioning, the minister became defensive while the Chief Minister remained silent.

When Mr Siddaramaiah was slowly losing grip over administration, Prof M M Kalburgi, a well-known academician, was killed at his residence in a peaceful city like Dharwad. Till today, the assailants have not been arrested.

Probably, Mr Siddaramaiah's countdown began in 2016 itself despite launching of many Bhagya schemes to appease only the Congress' presumed traditional vote bank. He lost the trust of the people when he almost closed the Lokayukta institution, the premier anti-corruption watchdog.

He was the one who projected himself as a crusader against corruption by going on a padayatra, before coming to power. He opened the Anti-Corruption Bureau and took over the prosecuting powers from the police of the Lokayukta. The ACB became an extended hand of the government.

Another black spot in his administration was the II PU Chemistry exam paper leak. It happened not once but twice. The Chief Minister had no time even to guide his junior colleague, the education minister, as to how to handle such mega scam or console the students.

However, he had time to defend his doctor son's efforts to run his personal medical business establishment from a government hospital premises in Bengaluru. Till the public opposed the efforts to grab the public hospital space to run the private business, he did not take action. Finally, the son had to quit the company as the director. Now, the same son is sweating out to become a people's representative.

Mr Siddaramaiah's penchant for accepting expensive gifts came to light when he flaunted lakhs of rupees worth Hublot wristwatch. He gave evasive replies when asked the source of the gift. Finally, the embarrassed CM got rid of it by depositing it with the government.

The Chief Minister did his best to defend two of his controversial ministers - H Y Meti and K J George. While the sleaze CD pertaining to Meti left the Congress ashamed, Police officer of Kodagu origin, M K Ganapathi's suicide note blaming the then Home Minister K J George exposed the political interference in the police department.

Finally, both the ministers had to exit from the cabinet. But Mr Siddaramaiah was so particular to get back George, that he had kept a berth vacant till he got a 'no-guilt certificate' for him from the CID. George, the stubborn, had to put in his papers only after the court directed the government to file a FIR against him.

Since 2013, the police department has been showing its inability to maintain law and order or book lawless people. Over a dozen Hindu youths were attacked or murdered but none in the government expressed remorse for the heinous acts.

Forget giving justice to common man, even the family of IAS officer D K Ravi, who committed suicide, had to struggle to get justice from the government. A top police officer, soon after seeing the body, had declared that it was a suicide. This conclusion was much before any investigation agency probed into the death.Due to pressure, the Chief Minister first got it probed by the state agency - CID.

After lapse of time, he handed it over to the CBI. He did the same with the Ganapathi case too. This is the state of affairs of the home department, which saw 3 home ministers and one 'super home minister' in the last 5 years. The police are still probing the murder of journalist activist Gauri Lankesh.

When the controversial George became Bengaluru development minister, he had to face the wrath of the people as he silently promoted the steel flyover project to connect 6.7 kms from Basavaveshwara Circle to Hebbal at a cost of Rs 1,791 cr.

Cutting hundreds of trees for making way to this ill-conceived project was not acceptable to Bengalureans or the BJP. Finally, the chief minister had to abandon it. The government could not even defend the project.

In 2017, the government woke up finally after realizing that it has to face people once again next year. Mr Siddaramaiah shunted a Dalit leader, Dr G Parameshwara, from the cabinet and confined him as the party president.

When the Chief Minister began rolling out statistics to show his love for Bengaluru, the biggest lake of Bengaluru, Bellandur, began burning due to the dumping of toxic waste. Not less than 15 Bengalureans died falling into the overflowing and choked drains. Even potholes turned into death traps. Just a spell of rain left the infrastructure further crumbling.

In the name of sprucing up the city, roads are being dug up and footpaths are getting vanished. The citizens are clueless about the work as there is no transparency in governance. It is not for no reason an independent agency has ranked Karnataka as the No. 1 corrupt state in the country.

Finally when it came to 2018, Mr Siddaramaiah got into field, not to work but to put up hoardings and issue advertisements claiming that he is the best and his government is the Number 1. Karnataka witnessed 73% drop in business investment realization in 2017. Still, the chief minister advertised that Karnataka is the No. 1 in attracting investments. What's the point in having investments only on paper?

Meanwhile, a few months before going to the polls, he became very busy in reducing the strength of Hindus by pursuing his divisive politics. Why will responsible and intelligent people of Karnataka once again make the blunder of voting for the Congress?

March With BJP in Karnataka to See Development.

(B S Yeddyurappa is State President of BJP Karnataka and Former Chief Minister of Karnataka)