The Hindu : New Delhi News : Two leaders, two unique protests, one issue

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Two leaders, two unique protests, one issue

Staff Reporter

Dummy “fast-running” electricity meters, a begging bowl do the rounds

NEW DELHI: Two Delhi MLAs, one belonging to the Congress and the other to the BJP, led protests against the Capital’s power distribution companies (discoms) and the worsening power situation in the city in different styles on Monday. While Mukesh Sharma of the Congress went round the area surrounding the Delhi Secretariat with a begging bowl in hand and collected money to be given to the discoms who have been clamouring for yet another increase in power charges, Vijay Jolly of the BJP went round with dummy “fast-running” electricity meters hung round his neck to protest against gross mismanagement by the discoms.

Mr. Mukesh Sharma began his protest along with nearly 300 supporters around 10-30 a.m. To support his cause, Member of Parliament from Outer Delhi Sajjan Kumar and MLAs Surender Kumar and Anil Bhardwaj also donated money. However, Mr Sharma -- who created quite a ruckus in the area by even “begging” before buses passing by -- was not allowed by the police to enter the Secretariat.

He was detained and taken to the I.P. Estate police station where he remained for over an hour.

By then he had collected Rs. 1.21 lakhs in cheques and Rs. 8,970 in cash for “Discom Relief Fund”. Though he sought to blame the BJP for the power privatisation and urged the discoms to stop looting the public, it was quite evident that he was actually training his guns at the Delhi Government led by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit that had ushered in the power privatisation process five years ago.

‘Surprised’

The protest by Mr. Mukesh Sharma even left his BJP rival Vijay Jolly dumbstruck. “I am quite surprised that a Congress MLA has after waiting for all these years come out against the Sheila Dikshit Government on the issue and the Congress party has not initiated any action against him.”

However, he added, the BJP had been spurred into further action by the turn of events.

Mr. Jolly, who reached the Secretariat accompanied by a hundred supporters, also claimed that the police had prevented several supporters in his constituency Saket from reaching the venue. Wearing a garland of dummy electricity meters carrying slogans like “I run without consuming electricity” and “I rob the pockets of poor citizens”, the MLA along with Municipal Councillors Mool Chand Sharma and Satender Chaudhury charged that there was another conspiracy now to raise the power charges in the Capital.

Holding the Delhi Government led by the Congress responsible for the power problems being faced by the people, he charged that while assets worth crores had been transferred to the discoms at throwaway prices and the discoms had saved crores on account of reduction in power thefts, account books were being manipulated to prepare a case for further tariff hikes. This when the tariffs had been increased several times in the past, he added.

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