Chhattisgarh's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has found an unexpected ally in the Congress party - over the state's power crisis.
With the central government depriving Chhattisgarh of 280 MW of power, the two parties have decided to jointly go to New Delhi to discuss the situation with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Energy Minister P.M. Sayeed.
The BJP had wanted to organise a "protest meeting" in New Delhi but is now calling the proposed parleys a "serious discussion" as the Congress doesn't want to take part in any protest against the Congress-led central government.
The "serious discussion" in New Delhi will take place Tuesday, Chief Minister Raman Singh told IANS.
The central power ministry Nov 6 reallocated 280 MW power from Chhattisgarh to Madhya Pradesh, suddenly pushing the once power surplus Chhattisgarh into a crisis.
The crisis aggravated further Thursday with the 250-MW Korba thermal plant of the state electricity board developing a technical snag and power supply getting halted.
The state currently gets 1,170 MW power from various sources, against a demand of 1,700 MW - running short of 530 MW.
Raman Singh will lead a team of his ministers and Congress legislators, including leader of opposition in state assembly Mahendra Karma.
They will meet Sayeed and Manmohan Singh Tuesday to urge that the original power allocation to the state be maintained.
"It's not discussion but a clear protest against the central government which has brushed aside our state's interests. But we are describing our engagement as a 'serious discussion' on the request of the Congress," a senior minister said.
In its reallocation of power, the central power ministry had settled the dispute about 1,618 MW power between Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh by allocating just 210 mw to the latter - a state carved out of Madhya Pradesh in November 2000 - and giving 1,408 MW to the parent state.
When Chhattisgarh was created in 2000, the central government allocated it 498 MW of the total 1,618 mw central pool power reserved for distribution between the two states. The latest power allocation has deprived the state of 280 MW central pool power.
"It's injustice to the new state. Last month's power allocation will adversely affect the state's interests. The state has lost 280 MW power overnight which will hit development process and industry as well," Raman Singh said.
The state government is holding discussions with the Power Trading Corporation (PTC) to secure more power. On Tuesday, the BJP government completes a year in office.
--Indo-Asian News Service