Karnataka BJP criticizes state government over power crisis

Karnataka BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition, R. Ashok, has criticized the Congress-led state government over an ongoing power crisis. Ashok accused Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Energy Minister K.J. George of pushing the state into darkness through unannounced daily power cuts of two to three hours.

According to Ashok, rural areas are experiencing more severe outages lasting five to six hours, which is preventing farmers from using pump sets and causing crops to dry up. He further alleged that during peak hours between 6:30 PM and 9:30 PM, electricity is being cut by 30 to 40 percent, affecting students, traders, and households. The opposition leader questioned whether the government is intentionally avoiding local power generation in favor of purchasing expensive electricity from other states for commissions. The Energy Department and the Congress government have not yet responded to these allegations.