SP government discriminating against Varanasi after Narendra Modi win: BJP MLA

VARANASI: Claiming that Varanasi is facing unscheduled long power cuts since Prime Minister Narendra Modi won Lok Sabha elections from there, a seven-time BJP MLA from the city today sat on an indefinite dharna, demanding Uttar Pradesh government to provide 24-hour-power supply.

Shyam Deo Roy Chaudhary, seven-time BJP MLA from Varanasi south seat, accused the state government of discriminating against the holy town as it is providing 24-hour power supply to neighbouring Azamgarh district from where Samajwadi party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has won the parliamentary elections.

He said that even Congress president Sonia Gandhi's constituency Rae Bareli and other constituencies of SP leaders such as Etawa and Kannauj get 24-hour power supply.

"The city has been witnessing long and erratic power cuts after Modi won Lok Sabha elections from here. The SP-led government in the state is punishing people for not voting to their party in the parliamentary elections," he allged.

Chaudhary today wrote a letter to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, demanding that the Varanasi district be made free from power-cuts.

"I had raised several times this issue in the Vidhan Sabha that Varanasi should be made free from power cuts as the temple town is a major pilgrimage centre, which attracts the highest number of domestic as well as foreign tourists in the country, but the state government did not pay any heed," he said.

Chaudhary said that due to poor condition of power supply in Varanasi, many industries have either shut down or struggling for their survival.

"The district is the constituency of the PM, so at least from now onwards the state government should provide 24-hour uninterrupted power supply to it" he said.

Meanwhile, a Varanasi-based NGO in a letter to the Chief Minister, accused the government of having biased approach in providing power supply to the districts of the state.

Satya Foundation, an NGO working for environment protection, asked the Chief Minister that why "only certain districts of VIPs are being provided uninterrupted power supply."

"In a democracy can the districts be differentiated in the category of 'VIP' and 'General'," Foundation secretary Chetan Upadhya said.

The NGO demanded that power cuts should be applied the same way in all the districts of the state.