Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi may wield a lot of power in Delhi, but in UP, chief minister Mayawati has literally rendered his constituency Amethi, powerless.
On Tuesday, Amethi observed a ‘bandh’ to protest the undeclared power cuts which last up to 18 hours a day. Amethi is being subjected to blackouts for almost a fortnight now.
The Congress’ state unit has taken up the issue and is preparing to launch a full-strength offensive soon. “The state government is supplying round-the-clock power to Mayawati’s parks and memorials, while common people have to sweat it out in the sweltering heat without power,” party spokesman Akhilesh Pratap Singh said.
On Monday, people in Amethi fought pitched battles against the police who tried to put down the spontaneous protests with brute force. Protesters hurled stones at the police who responded with teargas shells and an extended round of lathicharge.
If UP Power Corporation sources are to be believed, the ‘power’ problem is a more political one. A senior official said the Centre had set up a 220 KVA power sub-station in Rae Bareli at a cost of Rs150 crore, three years ago, to ensure uninterrupted power supply to Amethi, Rae Bareli and other adjoining districts.
“Since this is a VIP area, the distribution lines were also linked with the national grid. If despite all this, power rostering of up to 18 hours is being done, then the reasons are obvious,” the official said.
Sources say Mayawati is sore at the way Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh recently ticked off her pet projects. Besides, the CBI and the Income-Tax Department are relentlessly pursuing the disproportionate assets case against her. The CBI has told the Supreme Court that it has enough evidence to file a chargesheet against Mayawati.
