State responsible for power crisis: Kharge

BANGALORE: Union Minister for Labour Mallikarjun Kharge came down heavily on the state government for its poor management of the power scarcity situation in the state.“The state government and not the Centre must be held responsible for the crisis, he asserted. He was speaking at a Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) meeting here on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Mahathma Gandhi and former prime minister Lal Bahadur  Shastri.Stating that during the last five years not even a single megawatt of power was contributed by the state government, Kharge said that the accusation was only to cover up their failure. “It has become a habit for the BJP government to blame the Union government - be it on the power crisis, floods or drought.”Kharge, however, added Centre has always been respondent to the needs of all state governments sans any discrimination.Claiming that all development being witnessed in Karnataka was due to the flow of funds from the Centre under various schemes, the minister accused the BJP government of being involved in infighting.Referring to the drought-like situation prevailing in parts of the state, Kharge urged the state government to utilise funds released to it from the Centre under the Natural Disaster Fund. He also called upon the party workers to remain vigilant against forces engaged in dividing the society on caste lines. AICC general secretary B K Hariprasad, senior party leaders, including R V Deshapande, Kagodu Thimmappa, Rani Sathish and party legislators R Roshan Baig were present on the occasion.