By Special Correspondent
Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Congress has strongly condemned the Central Government’s reported threat to withhold grants from states that refuse to privatise their electricity distribution systems.
State Congress spokesperson Dr Vikram Chaudhary described the move as “an open conspiracy to hand over public assets to corporate interests,” asserting that the policy serves capitalists at the expense of ordinary citizens.
He said the Centre’s stance is a “direct assault on the federal structure of the Constitution,” adding that using financial pressure to force states into privatisation is both unconstitutional and anti-people.
Dr Chaudhary warned that privatising the power sector — built with taxpayers’ money — would prioritise profits over public service, leading to higher electricity tariffs, neglect of rural areas, and increased economic burden on the poor. “Selling public property to private players under the guise of 51% or 26% equity is nothing short of plunder,” he said.
The Congress leader further cautioned that the move would severely affect agriculture and rural economies, as subsidised electricity for farmers would likely be withdrawn, raising production costs and threatening livelihoods.
He accused the BJP governments of “filling corporate coffers while the public suffers from inflation and unemployment,” insisting that electricity is a public resource and “cannot be sold.”
Dr Chaudhary demanded that the Central Government immediately withdraw its privatisation proposal and guarantee affordable, reliable electricity for farmers, workers, and ordinary consumers. He urged that power distribution remain under public ownership and that genuine reforms, not privatisation, be pursued.
“The BJP is systematically selling off national assets — railways, airports, ports, and now electricity,” he said. “But the Congress will not allow the nation’s property to be auctioned off. This battle will be fought from the streets to Parliament.”
