Sullia: Close on the heels of a trader from Bellare here facing wrath of Power Minister D K Shivakumar for making a call and hurling abuses at him, the BJP Backward Caste Morchas has decided to hold a campaign on similar lines.
It may be recalled that on Sunday night, Sai Giridhar Rai, a local trader was arrested by the police for having made a call and hurled abuses at DK Shivakumar.
Rai, who was frustrated by frequent and unscheduled power cuts, was left with no other option but to voice his feelings to the Minister. However, this did not go well, as Mescom officials filed a complaint with the police and ensured that Rai was put behind bars.
However, raged by the fact that a common man, who was fed up of his unchanging reality was punished, local BJP Backward Caste Morcha has decided to follow the same lines and make direct calls to the Minister and voice their woes.
As per the Morcha members, the Minister had used his power and had got Rai arrested and hence now it was time to start ‘Call DK Shi Campaign’.
Rai Speaks
Meanwhile, Rai speaking to reporters said that as entire taluk is reeling under power crisis since several months now, he decided to call the Minister.
“I called the Minister only because my persistent pleas to Mescom officials failed to yield results,” he said adding that he first called the Minister on Saturday and this call had gone unattended.
“Hence I called him again on Sunday. He received the call and as I started speaking, he spoke extremely rudely to me, which is unbecoming of an elected representative. I just replied to him in the same language,” said Rai adding that the Minister had used his power to get him arrested.
Political slug fest begins
The BJP too has condemned the incident and said that a poor farmer who must have called the Minister to speak about the problems he is facing due to failed administration at the State has been penalised.
The BJP has said that over 20 cops forcefully entered Rai’s house and took him away.
However, even as Rai’s phone call hit headlines, the life of people of Sullia has not changed even a bit. The same power cuts left them sweating in the heat and on Tuesday, the people of Sullia struggled whole day to complete their daily chores- may it be irrigating their plantations and fields or may it be cooking, all the works remained unattended due to power cut.
