The Congress SIR strategy in Karnataka | Powertrip #155

Welcome to this week’s Powertrip, a political newsletter curated exclusively for subscribers of The News Minute and Newslaundry. This week’s edition is by Dhanya Rajendran, Shabbir Ahmed, and Pooja Prasanna.The SIR process in Karnataka has taken a surprising political turn – unlike in other states, the BJP is objecting to the exercise. Congress leaders we spoke to said they plan to use this to their advantage.Despite mixed reactions from street vendors and activists, the Congress believes that its Bengaluru footpath clearance initiative is generating positive public support that outweighs the backlash.In Tamil Nadu, we learnt about growing friction between TVK ministers and bureaucrats. Details in the newsletter. Powertrip is a newsletter that senior political reporters of TNM put together every week. For those who can’t access the full newsletter, get a subscription and read every Tuesday..Inside TrackExclusive stories, for your eyes only The Congress SIR strategy in KarnatakaThe Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in Karnataka has thrown up an unexpected political twist. While in most states the Opposition has objected to the SIR exercise and the BJP has defended it, in Karnataka it is the reverse.The BJP and its ally, the JD(S), have approached the Election Commission of India, alleging that the Congress has been organising verification camps in community halls, mosques, and other public spaces with the help of Booth Level Officers (BLOs). The allegation is that these camps are aimed at facilitating the inclusion of “illegal Muslims” in the electoral rolls.The News Minute spoke to several Congress leaders about their plans. All of them said they would not stop these efforts. Instead, they said the exercise would be expanded over the coming days as many people are struggling to fill the SIR forms and complete the verification process.One Congress leader said the party actually wants the BJP and JD(S) to continue raising objections once the draft electoral roll is published. According to the leader, if the two parties persist with their complaints despite people receiving assistance to complete the process, the Congress will use that to argue that the SIR exercise itself is fundamentally flawed.“We want them to complain. Only then can we point out how this exercise is a failure nationally,” the Congress leader said.Congress scores brownie points with Bengaluru footpath clearance driveThe Bengaluru footpath clearance drive, aggressively pushed by Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, has evoked mixed reactions. While many residents have welcomed the initiative to remove encroachments from major footpaths, street vendors and activists have accused the state government of acting hastily and jeopardising hundreds of livelihoods.With social media sharply divided, the issue has also prompted discussions within the Congress. Bengaluru has traditionally been a BJP stronghold. Although the Congress improved its performance in the 2023 Assembly election by winning 12 of the city’s 28 seats, the city has been politically challenging for the party.According to feedback shared by a few Congress MLAs with the party leadership, the footpath clearance drive has generated a positive perception of the government among a large section of residents. One MLA told us that many of his constituents are happy with the initiative, arguing that while vendors are understandably upset, they form only a small section of the electorate.The MLA also pointed out that similar clearance drives have taken place in the past, but this one has received far greater publicity and has been sustained over several days. According to him, the anger among vendors is likely to subside once alternative vending spaces are identified. For now, he said, Congress MLAs appear convinced that the political gains from the footpath clearance drive outweighs the backlash from street vendors.TVK govt faces bureaucratic heatIn Tamil Nadu, differences have emerged between many ministers and bureaucrats, with ministers accusing bureaucrats of moving too slowly and bureaucrats saying the ministers in the new Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government are disregarding their advice.According to Secretariat sources, only a handful of ministers have managed to establish a good working relationship with their respective department secretaries, while others are finding it difficult. The reason is that, except for a few, none of the ministers have any prior experience in handling bureaucrats, and this has resulted in friction between the ministers and department secretaries.In Tamil Nadu, the bureaucracy has been powerful. Particularly in the last 10 years, after the demise of leaders like Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa, the bureaucracy has been all the more influential, so much so that the previous AIADMK and DMK governments were accused of being run by bureaucrats.Moreover, these bureaucrats have worked with senior politicians.Sources said that young ministers have complained that sometimes they are not being treated well or taken seriously by bureaucrats. Similarly, bureaucrats have expressed displeasure that their suggestions are being ignored by the ministers and have lodged complaints with the Chief Secretary.Sources also said that there is an element of unease visible in meetings. The officers do not want to be questioned about anything that happened during the previous regime.Zero HourA political story of public importanceThe Supreme Court’s right-to-walk judgment should change how Indian cities build roads .Walking is the most common mode of transport in cities. 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