About 24 TDP MLAs continued their indefinite hunger-strike for the second day here today demanding immediate withdrawal of Andhra Pradesh government's proposal to enhance power tariff and also take urgent steps to mitigate the grave electricity crisis.
The TDP legislators launched the indefinite hunger-strike last night after the budget session of Assembly was adjourned sine die at the end of a 11-hour-long debate on the power crisis.
The CPI and the CPM, which were separately agitating over the same issue, extended support to the TDP and said they were ready to take their struggle forward together.
CPI floor leader in the Assembly Gunda Mallesh and CPM MLA Julakanti Ranga Reddy visited the TDP MLAs and squarely blamed the Congress government for the power woes.
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who is on his foot march in East Godavari district, spoke to the fasting MLAs over phone this morning and directed the party cadres to carry out agitation on the power issue in various forms.
TDP MPs Nama Nageswara Rao, T Devender Goud and C M Ramesh visited the indefinite fast camp at Old MLA Quarters here and extended solidarity to the MLAs.
The power sector in the state has been pushed into a grave crisis because of the corrupt practices adopted by the then Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
State-owned Power Generation Corporation of AP has been totally neglected while private players were encouraged to set up generating stations only to sell the power outside the state, they lashed out.
"Never before in the history of the state that a financial burden of over Rs 31,000 crore has been imposed on power consumers in less than four years. We demand that the government withdraw move to enhance electricity tariff by a staggering Rs 12,000 crore. It should also bear the fuel surcharge adjustment and not pass it on to the hapless consumers," the TDP and the Left leaders demanded.
