Congress edgy as power stir set to rock State

Hyderabad: The series of agitations launched one after the other by opposition parties against the power crisis has pushed the Congress party into greater trouble. The party is worried over the likely impact on the gram panchayat and other local body elections that would be held from June onwards. Adding more woes to the Congress party, AP Electricity Regulatory Commission on Saturday announced the decision to hike power tariff and chairman and managing director Hiralal Samariya, made a statement, that it would not be possible to improve the power situation within one year. While, Minister for Labour Danam Nagender on Saturday lashed out at TDP saying that the fast they had undertaken was to wash away the sins they had committed in 'ruining' the power sector, MLC and senior Congress party leader Paladagu Venkat Rao felt that instead of blaming others, it was time the party accepts that certain mistakes had taken place leading to the present crisis. He was of the opinion that the party leaders explain the ground realities to the people rather than blaming some party or an individual. Rao said that the series of agitations launched by the opposition needs to be countered in a systematic and convincing manner as people are not bothered about the statistics that the leaders quote. The best ways is to accept the reality and face it, he added. The power agitation by opposition in the State got intensified as the left parties launched indefinite fast which was disrupted by the police after three days. On March 26 soon after the State assembly was adjourned, the TDP leaders sat on fast at Old MLA quarters. The police under the instructions of the Speaker took all the 29 Legislators, who were on fast, into custody and shifted them to NIMS. Taking the agitation further, the BJP state president G Kishen Reddy, floor leader E Lakshminaryana and Yennam Srinivas Reddy sat on fast at Old MLA quarters on Saturday evening. The TDP leaders, who broke their fast on Saturday morning, met at TDLP office and decided to intensify the stir and extend full support to the April 9 statewide bandh call given by the left parties. On the other hand the YSR Congress party announced that they would stage dharnas in all Assembly constituencies across the state on April 3. They also gave a separate call for state bandh on April 9.