Nirupam threatens to set himself on fire

As the hunger strike by Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam to demand reduction in power tariff in the city entered its third day Saturday, the party’s state unit president Manikrao Thakre, who is currently in Yavatmal, was asked to rush to Mumbai to persuade him to call off his fast. Nirupam, who has been sitting on a hunger strike outside the office of Reliance Energy, threatened to immolate himself if his demand was not met. Earlier, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who is currently in Davos for the World Economic Forum, had warned Congress members against taking to street agitation on the issue, saying it needed discussion. Chavan was scheduled to return to Mumbai late Saturday night.