Congress accuses H.D. Kumaraswamy of ‘power theft’ for Deepavali lighting

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar congratulated former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy for admitting to the ‘power theft’.

The ruling Congress has accused JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy of of ‘power theft’.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on November 14, the Karnataka Congress shared a video showing a cable, stretching out from the terrace of Mr. Kumaraswamy’s residence at J.P. Nagar in Bengaluru, and connecting directly to a power line across the street.

Taking a jibe at Mr. Kumaraswamy, the Congress said: “If you were facing financial problems, you could have applied for Gruha Jyothi scheme, which ensures free power of up to 200 units per month. The JD(S) leader has been criticising the government’s guarantees, including free power to households.

Mr. Kumaraswamy clarified that the lighting was put up by a private decorator and the connection to the power line was removed after he found out about it. He hit out at the Congress for ‘making a big issue of a small thing’. The former Karnataka Chief Minister said he was open to an investigation by power authorities into the matter and would willingly pay a fine if served a notice.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar later congratulated Mr. Kumaraswamy for admitting to the ‘power theft’. Mr. Shivakumar said people in responsible positions should not indulge in such acts. “The government will not interfere in this. The department concerned or Bescom will take action,” he said.