Bengaluru: Karnataka’s former chief minister and JD(S) chief HD Kumaraswamy sought to put an end to the controversy over “power theft” to illuminate his JP Nagar home during Deepavali, saying he had paid a fine of Rs 68,526, even though he claimed it to be an error on the part of an electrician.
The JD(S) chief alleged a political witch-hunt against him for being vocal against the Congress government. “The government ran a systematic campaign against me, led by the CM and the deputy CM, alleging that I am a power thief,” he said.
CM Siddaramaiah, however, insisted that Kumaraswamy had paid the penalty imposed by Bescom since he was indeed involved in “power theft. If he had not done anything wrong, why did he pay the penalty?” Siddaramaiah retorted.
On November 14, Congress alleged the former CM had “stolen electricity” to illuminate his house on Deepavali. The party even posted a video, showing a connection being drawn to Kumaraswamy’s house from a distribution pole in the vicinity.
Kumaraswamy blamed the electrical contractor hired by his staff for the violation, and termed the charges & penalty imposed as “unjust and excessive”.