Chennai: Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister, Senthil Balaji has been trolled for his comments on squirrels saying when they run on the overhead power lines it causes disruptions in service.
The video clip of the comments has gone viral on social media platforms. The trolling phrase “Squirrels are the reason” has been trending with over 12,000 tweets on Wednesday.
Speaking on frequent power cuts in Tamil Nadu with media, the minister said that when tree branches come in contact with power lines, squirrels running on them lead to two wires coming into contact, thus causing power outages.
Later, at the assembly, the minister said that the previous AIADMK government had not carried out maintenance work for Electricity Board. He added that there would be no power cuts after the maintenance works were carried out.
It's noteworthy that the AIADMK managed the peak power demand efficiently during its regime in Tamil Nadu.
Opposition politicians and netizens have been trolling the ruling party for the minister’s comments and asking if squirrels ran underground and whether the population of squirrels had increased after the new government took over.
Many are comparing the minister's comments to an instance where AIADMK minister Sellur Raju attempted to cover a dam with thermocol sheets to prevent the evaporation of water during the previous regime. While many sheets were placed in the water, they were later blown ashore, thanks to the strong winds in the open area.
However, we can't completely deny Balaji's comments as the statement stands true for America for 30% of power outage in US is caused by squirrels if reports are to be believed. But, there was no news of poor squirrels causing power disruptions in India, specially in southerne states.
(With news inputs from ZeeNews)