Telangana minister Jagdish dares critics from Congress to check free power supply by touching lines

State Congress president A Revanth Reddy says the BRS government is falsely claiming to provide 24 hours of free power to the farm sector.

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Telangana Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy. (Photo: Jagadish Reddy G/ @jagadishTRS/ Twitter)

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“Let them touch the power lines anywhere in Telangana and check if there is power supply or not. After they do it, I will also hold those wires,’’ Energy Minister G Jagdish said Wednesday, when asked about the Congress claim that the BRS government does not provide 24 hours of free power.

“I challenge them to touch power lines for a second. I am willing to go to Karnataka, where there is a Congress government, and hold their power lines for 19 hours because I know there is no power supply. The question is, are Telangana Congress leaders willing to touch any of Telangana’s power lines? After they touch I will also hold those power lines,’’ Jagdish said. “Unlike in Karnataka, farmers of Telangana are not on the road protesting against the lack of power supply.”.

On Tuesday, state Congress president A Revanth Reddy said the BRS government was falsely claiming to provide 24 hours of power supply to the farm sector. Speaking at a public meeting in Alampur, Reddy said that he and other Congress candidates would not file nomination papers for the Assembly polls if Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao proved there was 24-hour power supply to the farm sector.

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“Only a Congress government can provide free power to farmers, as it had done in the past. The BRS government cannot provide 24-hour free supply to farmers,’’ he said at another public meeting, in Gadwal.

In July, Reddy touched a raw nerve when he said farmers did not need 24 hours of free power, and that the BRS government was misleading people with claims about supplying 24/7 free power. According to him, the BRS government provided only five-six hours of free power to the farm sector.

Reddy then also said that non-farming communities were misusing the free power supply. He also questioned the viability of supplying 24 hours of free power to farmers, suggesting that power distribution companies (discoms) would incur losses if the state government did not reimburse them on time.

“Over 95 per cent of Telangana farmers own two-three acres of land only. It takes about an hour to irrigate one acre so farmers do not need more than six-seven hours of power. Supplying 24/7 free power is not sustainable and it also leads to misuse of free power. The Congress will provide free uninterrupted power to farmers for eight hours. The previous Congress governments started it, and we will continue it,’’ he had said.

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Jagdish and several other BRS ministers questioned his claims and said there were no farm protests in the state because the farmers received free power 24/7.

Speaking at a public meeting in Sangareddy, minister KT Rama Rao asked, “Current kavala, Congress kavala? (Do you want 24/7 power supply, or do you want Congress?)”

A Congress government in Telangana means no free power supply to our people, he added.

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