SEC agitation catches local BJP in a cleft stick

Their doublespeak on the issue has only opened them to public contempt, so much so that even Kashiram Rana — riding high on a popularity wave after his election to Parliament by a record margin — has not been spared.

Rana and local MLAs can take solace from the fact that when Congress city unit president Thakorbhai Naik tried to wring political mileage out of the volatile situation at the well-attended public meeting on Saturday, he was insulted, booed and forced to come off the dais.

If Naik got off with public humiliation, on Sunday, Rana was gheraoed when he attended a function organiztzsed by the South Gujarat Texturisers’ Association. But so far as the local leaders are concerned, there is little they can do but bear the brunt of an agitation that is assuming serious proportions. Ironically, it was the BJP which had promised electricity at GEB rates in its 1995 election manifesto and kept its promise. It had taken a long and sustained agitation by Surtis to undo the injustice — 95 per cent of Gujarat’s subscribers get power at GEB rates — which they claim cost them Rs 1500 crore over 25 years.

The BJP’s bete noire Shankersinh Vaghela, to whom the party lost the reigns of power in a coup, found the subsidy — paid by the state government to the SEC to compensate it for supplying power at GEB rates — too high and withdrew it with effect from April 1, 1998.

Though the BJP went on to vanquish Vaghela at the hustings, it could do little about his genie he had uncorked. After prevaricating for two months, the State government announced some sops, while agreeing with Vaghela that the subsidy was indeed high. Last year’s subsidy figure of Rs 128 crore was expected to climb to Rs 155 crore. While 86 per cent subscribers will get power at GEB rates, the remaining 14 per cent — who consume more than half of the SEC’s supply — are not amused by the decision, as they end up bearing the brunt of the hike at a whopping Rs 90 crore.

Public meetings, rallies and demonstrations later, the BJP is yet to take the issue seriously, exposing its local leaders to the wrath of irate subscribers. It has fuelled speculations and allegations that the delay is deliberate and that the Hajuria camp, led by Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, is planning to cut Rana down to size in his backyard.

The local leaders did their cause little good when they issued an advertisement on Saturday, appealing to people not to respond to the bandh call of the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry and 124 other trade and industrial organisations. Among those who signed the advertisement were Rana, C R Patil — interestingly, also the chairman of the South Gujarat Processors’ Association, one of the agitating associations — MLAs and civic leaders.

Deliberate or intentional — the chief minister has twice refused to meet a chamber delegation and Urban Development Minister Kaushik Patel has handed out only promises — the delay has subscribers abusing local leaders for not coming to their rescue, and if anything, creating hurdles.

LT consumers, who are the most affected, with the hike increasing their bills by anything between Rs 12,000 and Rs 40,000, are calling for the BJP leaders’ heads. Any further delay will force them to toughen their posture.