Will ensure uninterrupted power as best as possible in coming summer: Sunil Kumar

With the Assembly polls round the corner, the ruling BJP is is spending more time in Coastal Karnataka which has been its bastion for many years where the Congress Party is doing its best to make inroads into several constituencies. Energy, Kannada & Culture Minister V.Sunil Kumar spoke to Shyam Sundar Vattam of News Trail on power issues and the coming Assembly polls. Here are excerpts

NT: How is the BJP preparing for the Assembly elections, especially in coastal Karnataka where the Opposition Congress party is giving it stiff competition?

Sunil Kumar: All five BJP MLAs have been amidst the people in the last five years. Be it during the Covid-19 pandemic or floods, our party legislators did a lot for the general public. To speed up things, we are holding a Booth Vijaya campaign to boost the morale of workers from January 2 to 12 all over the state.

NT: Coastal Karnataka has been the stronghold of the BJP for the last four to five elections. Has the support base of the BJP been eroded after the brutal murder of Youth BJP member Praveen Nettaru last year?

Sunil Kumar: No. I don’t think so. The murder of Nettaru took place for other reasons. At that time, people wanted to impose a ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI) and our government has done it. Over 50 persons were arrested in this connection.

NT: Last week, State BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel had asked party workers not to focus on roads and sewage lines but fight against Love Jihad. What is the election plank of your party?

Sunil Kumar: It is simple. Development and Hindutva. We are not going to leave these two issues and go forward.

NT: What kind of Hindutva do you want to pursue; will it be the mild or strong kind of HIndutva?

Sunil Kumar: Soft or Strong Hindutva is a media creation but for us, everything is the same.

NT: Do you see any difference between the 2018 Assembly polls and the coming Assembly elections?

Sunil Kumar: In the 2018 elections, our party fielded over 50 percent new candidates. This time, the sitting MLAs are amidst the people. Besides, the number of attacks on Hindu activists that were reported during the tenure of the Siddaramaiah Government between 2013 and 2018, had not happened this time except for the Praveen Nettaru incident.

NT: What about the BJP youth wing? Youth are up in arms against the BJP Government for its failure to protect the lives of Hindu activists.

Sunil Kumar: Tempers have come down after the Nettaru incident.

NT: Are you confident that BJP is still a force to reckon with in the coastal region?

Sunil Kumar: We are going to retain all five seats that we had won in the 2018 Assembly elections and also other seats.

NT: Coming to the performance of your ministry, only selected cities in the State have an underground power cable system; why it can’t be extended all over the state?

Sunil Kumar: The budget is very high. The cost of underground cabling is higher by a 1:4 ratio. Presently, we have done it in Bengaluru to measure transmission losses. Once it is done, we need to study the extent of the loss. If leakage loss cannot be capped, then there is no point in having this project across the State. We are yet to get the full details. The purpose of doing it is to bring down power losses.

NT: If I am right, underground cabling was done in Hubballi?

Sunil Kumar: Yes. It was done long ago wherever residential layouts are more in numbers. But the cost is very high. It is permanent but we need that much money for the underground cable work.

NT: Will there be any power cuts or outages in both rural and urban areas in the coming summer season?

Sunil Kumar: No. Not at all. We will ensure uninterrupted power supply as best as possible in cities and villages.