Electricity stir will be a turning point in State politics: Raghavulu

Vijayawada:The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) State secretary BV Raghavalu here on Sunday termed that the proposed strike against electricity charges hike on April 9 would be an important political development in the State. Speaking to the media, Mr Raghavalu said that all the Opposition parties, including the Telugu Desam and the YSR Congress Party have come together to opposed the draconian measure and announced their support to the proposed strike. The government has no option except to withdraw the proposed hike in power tariff or lose power, he said.He alleged that the government had imposed Rs 6,500 crore additional burden on the people.It is virtually looting the public money for aiding the private power unit, he said. He wondered how the government was purchasing each unit of power at an exhorbitant rate of Rs 12.20 from private power generation companies, when the actual unit price was only Rs 6 in the open market. The government is supposed to purchase power in the open market or implement the telescopic method. There is no need to increase electricity charges, he added. He took strong exception to the statement of Chief Minister N Kiran kumar Reddy that it was the decision of the Electricity Regulatory Committee and the government was no way concerned with the decision. He revealed that the Electricity Regulatory Committee had in fact proposed Rs 3500 crore hike only, but the government pressurised the committee for increase up to Rs 6,500 crore. The CPM leader accused the government of going back on its election promise of not to increase electricity charges during its tenure during the last Assembly polls. It amounted to cheating of people, he said. CPM leaders Y Venkateswara Rao and Ch Babu Rao were also present.