Karnataka villagers refuse to pay bills citing Congress’ promise of free electricity

Chitradurga: A video of a group of villagers in this district allegedly refusing to pay the electricity bill on Monday, as per the Congress’s pre-poll promise of 200 units free of cost, has gone viral. Among the five ‘guarantees’ the party has announced is an offer to provide 200 units of electricity to every household every month.

During the campaign for the May 10 assembly elections in Karnataka, the Congress has repeatedly said that it will give its seal of approval for these ‘guarantees’ in the first cabinet meeting on the first day of assuming power in the state. “We will not pay,” a villager is heard telling electricity bill collector Gopi in the purported video, in which people are seen sitting on a platform under a peepal tree.

People of Karnataka are already refusing to pay electricity bill…

#freebies pic.twitter.com/EzUIseUmCe– Subba Rao @SubbaRaoTN) May 15, 2023

Then the bill collector tells them, “You have to pay the bill this month. Let’s see what the government says,” to which the villagers respond, “What can the government say?” Gopi tells them that if the government says it will give free electricity, then the electricity department will follow it.

“We will not pay. They (Congress) have said electricity is free, it will be free,” replied another villager. On this, the bill collector says that if the order of the government comes, the electricity will be made free. “You collect from them (Congress), not us. We will not pay the bill,” says the villager and asks others sitting there not to pay either.