Bengaluru, June 12 (IANS) Karnataka unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) urged the state government not to allow the privatisation of the power sector, warning that such a move could force farmers to take to the streets in protest.
Speaking to reporters at the state BJP headquarters in Bengaluru on Friday, former Deputy Chief Minister and MP Govind Karjol alleged that the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) and the state government were creating anxiety among farmers. He claimed that the government’s plan to allow private companies such as Tata Power to participate in electricity distribution could trigger widespread opposition from the farming community.
Responding to a question, Karjol said private companies are primarily driven by profit motives. He argued that if private firms are entrusted with maintaining power lines, farmers would have to bear the costs of repairing damaged infrastructure, such as burnt transmission lines or transformers, based on the rates demanded by the companies.
“Private companies work for profit. The government is already making farmers pay between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh for IP set connections and transformer installations. Tomorrow, private companies may demand Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for the same services,” he said.
Karjol recalled that during the BJP government’s tenure, farmers could obtain IP set connections and transformer installations by paying Rs 25,000 and submitting an application, without facing major difficulties.
“However, in the last three years since the Congress government came to power in the state, farmers have been forced to pay between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh to electricity companies for IP set connections and transformer installations. This has caused significant hardship to the farming community,” he alleged.
Replying to another question regarding Dharmasthala, Karjol said the government was conducting an investigation through a Special Investigation Team (SIT). Describing Dharmasthala as a sacred and revered pilgrimage centre, he urged the government to resolve the issue at the earliest.
Meanwhile, former Karnataka minister B. Sriramulu has alleged that the Congress government, which came to power by making false promises regarding its guarantee schemes, is now attempting to discontinue the very same guarantees under the pretext of verification and revision.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Sriramulu said the people of Karnataka had never demanded such guarantee schemes from the government. “The Congress announced them on its own for political gain. Women did not ask for free bus travel, yet the government introduced it and is now moving to curtail or discontinue these guarantees,” he alleged.
Sriramulu claimed there were reports that Gruha Laxmi payments were being credited to the accounts of deceased beneficiaries, indicating serious flaws in the implementation of the scheme. “There is confusion within the government regarding the guarantees. There have been lapses at every level. The Congress leaders claimed these guarantees were for everyone, but now they are trying to stop them instead of implementing them properly. The government should apologise to the people of the state,” he said.
He alleged that the guarantees were introduced solely to win elections. “The Congress offered the guarantees during the elections and came to power. Now it is hatching a conspiracy to withdraw them. The government itself admitted on the floor of the House that irregularities had taken place in the Gruha Laxmi scheme,” he said.
Sriramulu also claimed that a cold war had existed between Siddaramaiah and D.K. Shivakumar over power and leadership. According to him, after Shivakumar became Chief Minister, infighting over cabinet positions and portfolios intensified.
He cited reports of dissatisfaction among ministers, alleging that Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda had raised objections over portfolio allocation. He also referred to senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy’s reported displeasure over his portfolio and said Minister K.H. Muniyappa was similarly unhappy.
“The government is surviving solely because of Rahul Gandhi. After D.K. Shivakumar became Chief Minister, nothing seems to be functioning properly, and the people of Karnataka are aware of it,” Sriramulu alleged.
He alleged that after D.K. Shivakumar became Chief Minister, he threw a half-eaten apple towards the crowd during the Samarpana Yatra held in Kanakapura, his home town. “By doing so, he conveyed the message that the people of the state should consume what is left after he has taken his share. This is the message he has sent to the people,” Sriramulu claimed.
–IANS
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