Bangalore: There was widespread relief in Karnataka on Tuesday over the Central Government's decision to impose president's rule and recommend dissolution of the state Assembly, but people felt the image of the state and especially IT hub Bangalore, has taken a beating due to the unsavoury political happenings.
From auto-rickshaw drivers to industry leaders, management experts, IT honchos, educationists, students and homemakers — all were unanimous in their view that governance in the state has been in a limbo for far too long.
The state administration had virtually come to a standstill since August when the issue of power transfer between the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took centre-stage.
Only a handful was ready to bet on the longevity of the BJP-led government when it took over November 12 as it was dependent on the maverick politics of the JD-S. Hence, the resignation of BS Yeddyurappa on Monday after the JD-S withdrew support, just seven days after he had taken over as chief minister, did not come as a surprise to most.
There was, in fact, fear that the Congress and JD-S might try to come together again to form an alternative government.
"Bangalore has become an oxymoron. It is industry stable and politics unstable," said Harish Bijoor, brand domain specialist and chief executive officer of Harish Bijoor Consultants.
"I think the image of Karnataka and Bangalore has certainly taken a beating due to the political instability in the state. Wherever we travel in India, people laugh at us. We are made to feel small nowadays," said TV Mohandas Pai, Infosys Technologies Ltd board member and director of HR, education, research and administration.
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"Karnataka is going down as an industrial state and all-round growth is being severely affected because of long political instability," said MCR Shetty, President of Karnataka Small Scale Industrialists Association (Kassia).
"The Karnataka political leadership does not deserve even the slightest sympathy a condemned human being deserves," said KE Radhakrishna, a leading educationist.
"All that interests our political leaders is power and not our welfare," said A. Azmath, a three-wheeler driver.
"I have never seen such a farce in Karnataka politics. What an irony, and at a time when the world is looking up to Bangalore and Karnataka for its achievements in the information technology and biotechnology spheres," said R Sashikala, a homemaker whose son and daughter work in a leading IT firm in the city.
"Every political leader in the country urges the youth to enter politics. But seeing what is happening in Karnataka, a so-called well-ruled state, the youth are better off staying away from politics," said S Deepthi, a second year post-graduate student of English literature.
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