Congress govt will be solid as rock for 5 yrs, Shivakumar and I on good terms: CM Siddaramaiah
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Mysuru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday asserted that the Congress government in the state will remain "as solid as a rock" for five years and maintained that he and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar share good terms.
He also hit out at BJP leaders for claiming he would not inaugurate the world-famous Mysuru Dasara celebrations this year, calling them "experts in lying."
These remarks come amid renewed speculation about a possible leadership change in Karnataka later this year.
"This government will be as solid as a 'bande' (rock) for five years," Siddaramaiah told reporters, with Shivakumar—often referred to as 'bande' by his supporters—by his side.
Asked whether he and Shivakumar were on good terms, Siddaramaiah replied, "We are on good terms". He then held and raised Shivakumar's hand as a sign of unity.
To a question on attempts to create a rift between them, he said, "We don’t listen to what others say." Shivakumar nodded in agreement.
When asked about BJP leaders claiming he would not be the Chief Minister to inaugurate the Mysuru Dasara celebrations this year, Siddaramaiah turned the question to the media. When reporters said they believed he would inaugurate the event as CM, he quipped, "Then fine."
"BJP leaders are experts in lying. Sriramulu, who made this claim, has lost how many times? He lost both the Parliament and the Assembly elections. How can someone who keeps losing predict the future?" he asked.
Speculation over leadership change has resurfaced after Congress MLA H A Iqbal Hussain claimed that Shivakumar may get an opportunity to become Chief Minister in two to three months, while Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna hinted at "revolutionary" political developments in the state after September.
Talks of a power-sharing agreement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar had been doing the rounds for some time but had subsided following clear instructions from the party high command.
Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary in charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, is visiting the state and will hold separate meetings with party legislators.
Asked about Surjewala's visit, Siddaramaiah said, "He is the AICC in-charge General Secretary. He will seek opinions from MLAs, hear their concerns, and discuss what needs to be done to strengthen the organisation. He will do his job."
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
