'Madhya Pradesh virus' won't enter Maharashtra, MVA govt safe: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut
Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday expressed confidence that his party-led Maharashtra government is safe and said the "Madhya Pradesh virus" will not enter the western state.
The Shiv Sena is leading a coalition government in Maharashtra with the NCP and the Congress.
The Kamal Nath government in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh is on the brink of collapse as 22 Congress MLAs in the state resigned on Tuesday after former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party.
Amid the political developments in Madhya Pradesh, Raut said there was no cause of worry for the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
"The Madhya Pradesh virus will not enter Maharashtra.
Maharashtra's power is different. One operation flopped 100 days ago. The Maha Vikas Aghadi did a bypass surgery and saved Maharashtra," the Sena leader said in a tweet in Marathi.
After the state Assembly polls in October last year, the Shiv Sena-led MVA government came to power on November 28 after it parted ways with the BJP over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post.
Before that, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and NCP's Ajit Pawar took oath as chief minister and deputy chief minister, respectively, in a hush hush ceremony on November 23. But, the government did not last more than 80 hours.
In the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, the MVA government enjoys support of over 165 MLAs.
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No unannounced load shedding in Kerala, outages due to overload, says Minister
Palakkad (PTI): Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Saturday said there was no unannounced load shedding in the state, attributing recent power interruptions to temporary overload caused by high consumption.
Clarifying concerns raised from various parts of the state, the minister said the disruptions are not deliberate but occur when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
"It is not being done intentionally. Power consumption has risen sharply, and when there is excessive and indiscriminate usage, the system experiences overload, leading to natural supply interruptions," he told reporters here.
His remarks come amid complaints that several areas have been witnessing frequent power cuts, often lasting around 15 minutes and occurring multiple times during the night.
Krishnankutty said the state's power demand has crossed 6,195 MW, putting pressure on the supply system. He added that around 70 per cent of Kerala's electricity is procured from outside, and existing power banking arrangements have been exhausted.
"We have approached the Regulatory Commission seeking permission to purchase more power. However, this will come at a higher cost," he said.
The minister said the government is trying to avoid increasing electricity tariffs and urged consumers to exercise restraint in usage to help manage the situation.
Responding to opposition criticism over the ruling LDF's earlier claims of a decade without power cuts, he said the current situation is not unique to Kerala.
A power crisis is emerging across the country, he said, and sarcastically asked the Opposition to take note of the role of natural factors in this.
Krishnankutty expressed confidence that the situation would improve within two days, while cautioning that long-term energy security would depend on enhancing in-state power generation.
He also warned that future generations could face serious challenges if adequate electricity production capacity is not developed within Kerala.
