Arjun Munda slams Hemant Soren for blaming BJP for power crisis

RANCHI: Former Chief Minister Arjun Munda today asked Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren how he could accuse the BJP of being responsible for power crisis in the when the previous regimes never had said the state would commission power plants.

"The (previous) governments had never said the state would set up plants. It was the people (companies) who were suppose to commission plants and the state would have helped in augmentation in transmission," Munda said.

Responding to Soren's allegations that it was only the BJP which was responsible for the present power crisis as it "failed" to add a single unit even after signing several MoUs in the energy sector, Munda asked why the JMM-led government was unable to control loss of 100 MW.

"Out of an available 800 MW, only 700 MW is being generated, incurring a loss of 100 MW. Besides, faulty and burnt up transformers adding to the problem," added the senior BJP leader, who was the chief minister thrice.

He claimed "During our period we had electrified about 24,000 villages (out of over 32,600 villages) ... there is problem in the distribution system."

The BJP is protesting against shortage of power in the state with its senior leader Yashwant Sinha in judicial custody from June 3 in connection with the alleged assault of General Manager of JSEB's Hazaribagh branch Dhanesh Jha on June 2.