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Karnataka: BJP MP Simha calls for statewide protest over free electricity scheme
BJP MP Pratap Simha called for a statewide protest commencing from June if Congress fails to deliver on the of providing 200 units of free electricity
Mysore-Kodagu Member of Parliament (MP), Pratap Simha, has called for a state-wide protest commencing in June if the Congress party doesn’t deliver on the promise of providing 200 units of free electricity.
Among the guarantees made by the Congress party following their ascent to power were the provisions of free electricity, a ₹2,000 subsidy for women, free bus rides for women, and a range of incentives for unemployed graduates. However, with these assurances yet to materialise, Simha said the party has considered taking a firm stand on behalf of his constituents.
‘’During the election campaign, both chief minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar repeatedly said, in every speech, that 200 units of power would be free, and they did not imply that there were any conditions, then. Hence, they should not introduce conditions now when it’s the time to deliver on the promises. People have voted for the Congress because of the five guarantee schemes, and these schemes should be implemented without delay or conditions to benefit all,” said Simha.
‘’The BJP will take to the streets, and urge the people not to pay the electricity bill if their consumption is below 200 units. In case, the consumption is higher, then the first 200 units should be treated as free, and only the difference amount should be paid. I will personally lead the agitation in Mysuru-Kodagu region,” he added.
Even on Saturday, at least two videos surfaced from Bidar and Mandya where people refused to pay the electricity bill. In the video from Bidar, the person is heard asking about electricity company officials to send the bills to the homes of DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah. When the official said that bill was for the previous month, the user insisted he will not pay the bill.
However, HT couldn’t confirm the veracity of the videos.
On Wednesday, former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy said that he would ask his followers not to pay the bills starting in June. “I will wait for the second cabinet meeting and even after that, if they fail to implement the five schemes, I am planning to appeal to my workers and the people of the state not to pay the electricity bill for 200 units. I am also setting up an office in every taluk to help people who torture them for not paying the bill,” Kumaraswamy said.
According to a senior IAS officer, who didn’t wish to be named, the government already paying a subsidy amount of ₹14,508 crore per annum for various schemes for the farmers. “The average cost of power supply is ₹9.12. The government will have to give 3848 MU of power free to domestic consumers every month, which will cost them ₹3,509 crore per month, and ₹42,108 crore annually,” said the officer.
While similar schemes are in place in Punjab and New Delhi, according to the officer, the higher population in Karnataka would pose a challenge to the government. Even though the government had said it would come up with a plan for implementing the schemes at the earliest, no announcements were made during the three-day session of the assembly.
Hours after he was sworn in on 20 May, chief minister Siddaramaiah approved five government schemes including ‘Gruha Jyothi’, that his party had promised before the election. The schemes are estimated to cost the exchequer ₹50,000 crore.
“I’m confident that without entrapping the state in debts and without pushing the state into financial bankruptcy, we will implement all the guarantee schemes,” he told reporters after holding a cabinet meeting soon after taking oath. “When we are paying ₹56,000 crore (annually) as interest on our loan, can’t we spend ₹50,000 crore for our people?”
