The Aam Aadmi Party has announced that it would “gherao” Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's residence on January 10 to protest against the recent hike in electricity charges.
AAP is the main Opposition party in the State Assembly.
AAP Punjab chief and Member of Parliament Bhagwant Mann said that the Chief Minister should answer as to why consumers in the State were forced to pay a higher tariff as compared to other States even though Punjab produced its own electricity.
Expensive pacts
Mr. Mann in a statement said that had the ruling government been a little sympathetic, it would had scrapped the expensive power purchase agreements inked by the previous SAD-BJP government with private power companies.
He alleged that the Congress government had succumbed to pressure from the powerful power mafia.
The ruling Congress had failed to honour its poll promise of cancelling the agreements with private thermal plants after forming the government, he said
Mr. Mann said the party would lay siege to the Chief Minister’s official residence in Chandigarh to press for reduction in tariff.
