Chouhan tells farmers to skip power bills; Cong asks, ‘what about you?’

Bhopal: Former BJP chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chauhan on Monday cleared an outstanding electricity bill for a Vidisha house – where he was once a tenant -- after being taunted by the ruling Congress party for abusing power.

Congress MLA Vidisha Shashank Bhargava said: “The former CM has been living in the house for the past 25 years. He misused his position when he was chief minister and had uninterrupted power supply to the premises without paying the bills since 2013. If a consumer doesn’t pay his bill the power distribution company immediately issues a notice to him and disconnects the power supply on non-payment of the bill. But in this case the authorities shut their eyes for years. Hence, action should be taken against power distribution company authorities too.”

Bhargava was retorting to Chouhan’s comments at a farmers’ rally, on Sunday where he had asked them to chase away bill collectors with brooms. He was protesting the delay in payment of relief money for crop loss due to the floods and accused the government of inflating power bills to recover dues.

Chouhan was on a visit to flood affected Neemuch and Mandsaur districts where he made these comments.

The electricity connection of his Vidisha house is in the name of one Leela Bai. Congress MLA Bhargava showed the notice issued by the Central Zone Power Distribution Company Ltd to Leela Bai on September 13, asking her to pay the outstanding amount of Rs 122,833 lakh or face legal action.

Education Minister Jeetu Patwari on Tuesday said Chouhan should be ashamed for disgracing the office of the chief minister, India Today reported.

Chouhan's close associate told Hindustan Times that the outstanding amount was paid on Monday immediately after the former CM received the notice.

“The agreement of the house as a tenant is certainly in the name of the former CM but he has not been staying there for the past 14 years. Instead, he allowed certain local BJP leaders to use the premises as their office. It was these leaders’ fault that they didn’t clear the bills. When it came to the notice of the former CM he took these BJP leaders to task and immediately cleared the bills,” the associate said.

State BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said, “It is known to all that the former CM lived in the CM house at Bhopal from 2005 to 2018. He hardly needed this house at Vidisha to use it as his office. When he came to know about the power bills he immediately cleared it. There was hardly any misuse of power on his part. Congress is unnecessarily making it an issue.”

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