Rahul appeals to people of Delhi's Uttam Nagar to maintain peace; accuses BJP of fanning violence
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the people of Uttam Nagar do not want any bloodshed as they have already paid a heavy price for violence and urged the people of Delhi not to fall for any provocation as the country's strength lies in its unity and brotherhood.
In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi alleged that the BJP and its ecosystem want bloodshed to continue and seize every opportunity of fanning violence and spreading hatred in society.
"The people of Uttam Nagar have paid a heavy price for the violence - on one side, a young man, Tarun, lost his life, and on the other, an entire family is facing persecution. They don't want any more bloodshed.
"Bloodshed is what only the BJP and its ecosystem desires, which seizes every opportunity to fan violence and hatred," the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
"They want the country to remain entangled in Hindu-Muslim tension, so that people cannot ask why the prime minister is being forced to hand over the country's defense, energy security, food security, and strategic sovereignty to America - and that's why, in broad daylight, riot-like conditions are once again being created in the nation's capital," he claimed.
"An appeal to the residents of Delhi: Do not fall for any provocation - the strength of the country lies in our unity, brotherhood, and love. Jodo, jodo, Bharat Jodo..." the Congress leader said in his post.
Tension and violence has gripped Uttam Nagar in north Delhi, after 26-year-old Tarun was killed on March 4, following a clash between his family and their neighbours in the JJ Colony area after a girl from Tarun's family threw a balloon, splashing a woman from the neighbour's family during Holi celebrations.
Some Hindu outfits later staged a protest against the killing and torched two vehicles of the accused family members. The police have stepped up security and made heavy deployment in the affected areas to avoid any more violent incident ahead of the Eid celebrations.
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No unannounced load shedding in Kerala, outages due to overload, says Minister
Palakkad (PTI): Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Saturday said there was no unannounced load shedding in the state, attributing recent power interruptions to temporary overload caused by high consumption.
Clarifying concerns raised from various parts of the state, the minister said the disruptions are not deliberate but occur when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
"It is not being done intentionally. Power consumption has risen sharply, and when there is excessive and indiscriminate usage, the system experiences overload, leading to natural supply interruptions," he told reporters here.
His remarks come amid complaints that several areas have been witnessing frequent power cuts, often lasting around 15 minutes and occurring multiple times during the night.
Krishnankutty said the state's power demand has crossed 6,195 MW, putting pressure on the supply system. He added that around 70 per cent of Kerala's electricity is procured from outside, and existing power banking arrangements have been exhausted.
"We have approached the Regulatory Commission seeking permission to purchase more power. However, this will come at a higher cost," he said.
The minister said the government is trying to avoid increasing electricity tariffs and urged consumers to exercise restraint in usage to help manage the situation.
Responding to opposition criticism over the ruling LDF's earlier claims of a decade without power cuts, he said the current situation is not unique to Kerala.
A power crisis is emerging across the country, he said, and sarcastically asked the Opposition to take note of the role of natural factors in this.
Krishnankutty expressed confidence that the situation would improve within two days, while cautioning that long-term energy security would depend on enhancing in-state power generation.
He also warned that future generations could face serious challenges if adequate electricity production capacity is not developed within Kerala.
