Mamata writes to PM to oppose Centre’s move to place ”anti-people” Electricity Bill in Parliament

PTI, Aug 7, 2021, 3:59 PM IST

Kolkata: Protesting the Centre’s move to place the “anti-people” Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in Parliament, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday shot a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to refrain from proceeding with the legislation. She requested the PM “to ensure that a broad-based and transparent dialogue on the subject is opened up at the earliest”.

“I write this letter to re-lodge my protest against the Union Government’s fresh move to place the much-criticised Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020, in Parliament. It was proposed to be moved last year, but many of us had underlined the anti-people aspects of the draft legislation, and at least I had detailed out all the salient pitfalls of the Bill in a letter to you on June 12, 2020,” she wrote.

Banerjee had written to Modi on June 12 last year, expressing outrage over the draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020, which, she, said, was an attempt by the Centre to “destroy” the country’s federal structure. She claimed that the bill aims to make the entire state electricity grid an appendage of the National Grid. “I am stunned to hear that the Bill is coming back without any consideration for our reservations, and in fact with some graver anti-people features this time,” she added.