The recent power tariff hike was done out of compulsion as "electricity had to be bought at market rates", said Kamal Sharma, general secretary of the Punjab unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and political secretary of the chief minister, on Sunday.
Sharma said the state would be power surplus in one-and-a-half years. "The SAD-BJP government is working in perfect harmony and mutual understanding," he said. "The district coordination committees consisting of the representatives of both the parties would be set up to ensure smooth coordination between the two partners."
Earlier a group of Shiv Sena activists tried to gherao him near Haibowal Chowk. However, Sharma got down from his car and went to the protesting activists led by Rajiv Tandon, president of Punjab unit of Shiv Sena and heard them out patiently.
The activists were protesting the BJP's stand on the Operation Bluestar memorial being built in Amritsar. Tandon said the stand taken by the state government on the issue had sent shock waves among social and political organisations.
Meanwhile, Sharma advised the Congress to "consult the Municipal Act before going to court on the issue of advancing of municipal elections in Punjab". The civic body elections were held two months earlier that schedule on June 10.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Sharma advised the Congress to "consult the Municipal Act before going to court on the issue of advancing of municipal elections in Punjab". The civic body elections were held two months earlier that schedule on June 10.
{{/usCountry}}"There was no bar on advancing the municipal elections, but the new House could start functioning only after the completion of the full term of the previous House," he said.
Manish Tewari, the Member of Parliament from Ludhiana had recently said the Congress would take legal recourse against the advancement of the elections.