BJP burns copies of power bills at 180 locations in city
   Date :24-Nov-2020

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Staff Reporter :
 
BHARATIYA Janata Party (BJP) leaders and workers, as part of their State-wide agitation on Monday, burnt copies of electricity bills and demanded waiver of high bills. BJP claimed to have burnt copies of the bills at 180 locations in the city. BJP leaders warned that if Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government in Maharashtra did not keep its promise of offering relief from high power bills, it would intensify agitation in days to come. Pravin Datke, MLC and BJP city chief, led the party workers in demonstrations in front of MSEDCL’s Tulshibagh office. Datke and others burnt the copies of electricity bills and raised slogans against MVA Government. Datke said that MVA Government was exposed over the issue of high power bills. “During COVID-19 crisis and lockdown, people were facing difficulties on one hand. On the other, MVA conspired to burden them with high amounts of electricity bills.
 
Even after lockdown, people are receiving higher electricity bills. Despite agitations, instead of providing relief to people, Energy Minister has been making misleading statements,” he said. Further, Datke alleged that MVA Government was abusing power and harassing people who showed mirror to it. He appealed to the people to oust the MVA Government. Chandrashekhar Bawankule, former Energy Minister and BJP State General Secretary, led the demonstrations in Nagpur and Wardha. Bawankule lit the‘pyre’ of electricity bills. Addressing the gathering, he said that the agitation was to wake up the MVA Government, which had failed to keep own promises to people. “Several establishments and shops have received very high electricity bills though those were closed during lockdown period.
 
The Government is not sensitive,” he alleged. If MSEDCL officers go to snap power connections of poor people over bill default, BJP would stop them, he warned. In various other parts of the city, BJP leaders Girish Vyas, MLC; Prof Anil Sole, former MLC; Krishna Khopde, Mohan Mate, Vikas Kumbhare, MLAs; Sudhakar Deshmukh and Sudhakar Kohale, former MLAs; KishorWankhede,Vinod Kanhere, Kishor Palandurkar, Deaven Dasture, Sanjay Awchat, Sanjay Chaudhary, Shivani Dani, Adv Dharmapal Meshram, Archana Dehankar, Ashwini Jichkar, Dayashankar Tiwari, Deaven Dasture, led the demonstrations. Addressing the gathering during agitation in East Nagpur, Khopde flayed the Energy Minister and said, “Energy Minister of Maharashtra first made promises to people, and after realising that the MVA Government would not fulfill those, asked the people to pay higher electricity bills. Earlier also, he had announced to provide electricity for free up to 100 units, and 50 per cent rebate in bills.
 
Manisha Kothe, Deputy Mayor; Balya Borkar, Mahendra Raut, Samita Chakole, Abhiruchi Rajgire, Pradeep Pohane, Harish Dikondwar, Chetana Tank, Kanta Rarokar, Sarita Kaware, Bunty Kukde, Manoj Chaple, and others participated in demonstrations. Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers led by Girish Vyas, MLC; Virendra Kukreja, Health Committee chief of NMC; Shivani Dani Wakhare, BJYM State General Secretary; Parendra Patle, City President; Kalyan Deshpande, Rahul Khangar, Sachin Karare, Kamalesh Pandey, Sachin Sawarkar, Shekhar Kuryawanshi and others burnt the electricity bills near 10 Number Puliya. Vikas Kumbhare, MLA; Parshu Thakur, Vandana Bhagat, Bharati Bunde, Pramod Pendke, Shrikant Aglawe, Anil Manapure, Subodh Acharya, Shraddha Pathak, J P Sharma, Kishor Wankhede, Jayshree Wadibhasme, Nanda Jichkar, Vishakha Mohod, Avinash Thakre, Pallavi Shamkule, PramodTabhane, LaxmiYadav, Sandeep Gavai, Nilesh Raut, Suresh Kulkarni and others participated in the demonstrations at various places. 
 
Bawankule led MSEDCL to death-bed, says Dr Raut REACTING to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) agitation in protest of higher power bills, Dr Nitin Raut, Energy Minister of Maharashtra and senior Congress leader, alleged that Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) was led to death-bed during the tenure of BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule as Energy Minister. “Bawankule lighting the symbolic pyre of electricity bills was apt as he is responsible for the current situation of MSEDCL,” Dr Raut said in a statement issued on Monday night. “Though they have led MSEDCL to death-bed, we will not leave it there. We will offer solution to what is ailing MSEDCL and revive it. It will be our priority,” he added.