Oct 12 – On Wednesday, the former Karnataka Chief Minister, Basavaraj Bommai, issued a stern warning, stating that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would take action if the state government failed to ensure uninterrupted seven-hour power supply to farmers in three phases. He made these remarks during a farmers’ protest organized by the BJP, led by former Minister K. Sudhakar, who was protesting what they perceived as the government’s “anti-farmer” stance.
Bommai emphasized that access to power and essential commodities like rice was the rightful entitlement of farmers, which they felt had been unjustly denied by the current Congress-led government. He stressed that it was the duty of the state government to ensure consistent power supply and that they were not doing farmers any favors. Bommai also pointed out that the previous BJP administration had allocated Rs 10,000 crore to the Karnataka Energy Department, whereas the present Congress government had not provided any grants due to budget constraints and a shortage of coal.
The former Chief Minister further highlighted that farmers were only receiving two hours of power daily, despite a recent double increase in power tariffs over the past three months.
Bommai went on to criticize Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for not fulfilling promises, such as providing 10 kg of free rice to every below poverty line (BPL) family, as only three kg of rice had been distributed. He accused the Congress government of deception and misinformation, particularly in relation to schemes like ‘Gruha Lakshmi,’ where they promised Rs 2,000 to every woman but allegedly failed to deliver.
Bommai concluded by warning the state government that the BJP would resort to locking down ESCOM (Electricity Supply Company) offices and staging protests if farmers were not granted seven hours of power supply in three phases.
He also indicated that the opposition was prepared to face arrests and that their protests would be relentless until the government addressed the needs of the people, particularly in areas like Chikballapur, where crops were reportedly suffering due to negligence.
Furthermore, Bommai expressed frustration at the stalling of development projects in Chikballapur and vowed to continue the agitation until the current “anti-people” government was removed from power. The former Ministers, R. Ashok and Sudhakar, as well as BJP MP Muniswamy, were present during the farmers’ protest.