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Hiked power tariff in UP triggers BSP vs BJP tussle

Mayawati has slammed the decision to hike power tariff but UP Energy Minister Shrikant Sharma fired back saying corruption of previous governments had caused power companies massive losses.

Hiked power tariff in UP triggers BSP vs BJP tussle Image used for representational purpose only.

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission on Tuesday approved up to 12 per cent hike in power tariff for different categories of power consumers.

The Regulatory Commission has approved a hike of 8 to 12 per cent in power tariffs. Similarly, the Industrial Sector category will have to shell out more money due to being in the range of 5-10 per cent.

The electricity tariffs have also been hiked in the urban and rural areas. 

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati strongly condemned the new electricity tariff hike and lambasted the BJP for approving the hike in rates. "It is a completely anti-people decision by the Uttar Pradesh BJP government to approve the hike in electricity rates. This will increase the burden of inflation on crores of people, especially the toiling masses of the state, and their lives will be more painful. It would be better if the government immediately reconsiders it," Mayawati tweeted.

Retorting to Mayawati's tweet, Uttar Pradesh Energy Minister Shrikant Sharma in a series of tweet attacked the former government and said that electricity companies had suffered huge losses due to SP and BSP. 

"Sister Mayawati Ji, it was the sins of SP-BSP that corruption increased and power companies went into huge losses. During the tenure of the SP-BSP, rates were only increasing. During the tenure of the BJP, the rates were reduced and the hours of electricity supply increased," Sharma wrote in a tweet.

Launching a sharp attack on Mayawati-led BSP, Sharma further went on to say that some categories of electricity rates had to be raised due to economic irregularities of the former governments. "The government has kept the poor free from rising rates. Due to economic irregularities of former governments, some categories of electricity rates had to be increased partially," Sharma wrote in another tweet.

Sharma further said that now the electricity supply has been extended to many districts but earlier only desired districts used to get electricity supply. "Now electricity is being supplied to 24 districts, 20 to tehsil and 18 hours to villages. The former governments had no roster. Electricity was only available to the desired districts," Sharma tweeted.