Senthilbalaji Slams TVK Government Over Endless Power Cuts

When the lights flicker again in a village school or a small shop in Coimbatore, the conversation usually turns to the same old refrain: ‘Why can’t the government fix the power cuts?’ This time, the question has been tossed straight back at those in power.

DMK legislator K. Senthilbalaji, speaking at a public rally in Madurai on Monday, didn’t mince words. He warned the TVK‑led administration that it could not continue to rely on glossy photo‑ops while households and businesses wrestle with daily blackouts. ‘We need solutions, not PR,’ he said, his voice rising over the murmur of the crowd.

His jab comes amid a spate of high‑profile visits by the chief minister’s team to power‑dependent factories, where they posed for pictures against a backdrop of humming generators. Critics argue those staged moments do little to address the root causes—aging transmission lines, insufficient load‑shedding plans, and delayed sub‑station upgrades.

Sentinel reports from the region reveal that over 60 % of households still experience at least two hours of unscheduled outage each day. Small entrepreneurs, especially those running textile units, have seen profits dip as they scramble to buy diesel‑powered generators, a cost that quickly erodes margins.

“We’re tired of being told that progress is just around the corner,” said a shop owner from Tiruppur, who requested anonymity. “Every evening we’re left in the dark, and the next day the government shows us a picture with a smiling minister holding a bulb. It feels like a joke.”

In response, the TVK government released a statement emphasizing recent investments of ₹5,200 crore in the state’s power infrastructure and promising the commissioning of three new thermal plants by the end of the year. Yet the timing of those announcements—just hours after Senthilbalaji’s remarks—has sparked speculation about a reactive, rather than proactive, approach.

Political analysts note that the issue of electricity reliability has become a litmus test for the ruling coalition ahead of the upcoming municipal elections. “If the electorate perceives that the government is more interested in optics than outcomes, it could swing the vote,” said Dr. Meenakshi Raghavan, a senior fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs.

For now, the electricity board remains under pressure to deliver tangible results. Residents across the state have begun petitioning local representatives, demanding transparent timelines and accountability for stalled projects.

Whether Senthilbalaji’s blunt reminder will spark a genuine shift in policy or simply add another chapter to Tamil Nadu’s ongoing power saga remains to be seen. One thing is clear: the lights may be dim, but the public’s patience is certainly not.