Maharashtra NCP chief today said its alliance partner can have a "rethink" on continuing the coalition in the state.
Apparently sour over a nudge from his Congress counterpart in connection with the ongoing power crisis, Maharashtra NCP chief Saturday said its alliance partner can have a "rethink" on continuing the coalition in the state.
"Manikrao Thakre (Maharashtra Congress president) should ask Delhi (high command) whether to continue alliance with us or not," Maharashtra NCP chief Madhukar Pichad told reporters in reply to a query on the Congress-NCP tussle over increased hours of load shedding in the state.
Thakre had urged Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to take the initiative in resolving the acute power shortage which the government sought to attribute with coal shortage due to ongoing stir in Andhra Pradesh over Telangana issue and floods in Orissa.
The alliance partners, who have been in coalition for more than a decade, are unlikely to have a pre-poll alliance for the local bodies elections slated later this year.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar yesterday rebutted Congress saying "it could take away" Energy portfolio from him. Pawar's comments came in the backdrop of Thakre's demand that "Prithviraj Chavan intervene in the power crisis issue which is a result of bad planning".
"The chief minister's post is with them (Congress). What they want is their issue. If they want, they can take away the portfolio (power ministry) from me," Pawar had said.
"There is nothing like (lack of) planning. The shortage of coal supply has affected the central power grid and led to shortage of power in the state," Pawar had added.
The prolonged load shedding schedules in Maharashtra, which is currently facing acute power shortage, has spilled over into a political blame game with Opposition Shiv Sena threatening to launch statewide agitations over the issue.
The offices of state power utilities were attacked by angry protesters at many places across the state over the long load shedding schedules.
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