Then, the water problems. At a public meeting in Raichur earlier in May, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had said that it was ironical that Raichur had two rivers—Krishna to the north and Tungabhadra to the south—but the area remained drought-prone. The district Congress’s excuse is, at best, weak. A senior leader said on condition of anonymity: “There is a canal from Tungabhadra but some villages fall in the tail end of the canal and hence face problems.”

Power is another worry. Even with the thermal power station, which accounts for around 40 per cent of Karnataka’s power supply, Raichur suffers intermittent power cuts. E. Lingappa of Kolmala village, around 20 km from Raichur city, said, “They told us the power was too heavy to be supplied directly and must therefore be routed to Gulbarga and then to us.” Another paradox.