Electricity woes: Enough coal available, Maharashtra busy blaming Centre, says Union minister Raosaheb Danve

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Union Minister Raosaheb Danve on Saturday said there was enough coal for supply to power plants and alleged that the Maharashtra government was busy blaming the Centre instead of providing electricity to citizens.

He said the state government owes Rs 3,000 crore in coal dues but the Centre had not stopped supply.

Addressing reporters here, Danve said, "Maharashtra is facing load-shedding since a month. It is the state government's responsibility to provide electricity to industries, farmers etc. Instead, the MVA government is busy blaming the Centre."

He said the current electricity crisis in the state was due to mismanagement and lack of coordination among the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, which form the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

He also attacked the state government on the Hanuman Chalisa row involving Independent Lok Sabha MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana and said law and order had collapsed in Maharashtra.

The couple had announced that they would recite Hanuman Chalisa in front of Matoshree, the private resident of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday, but later pulled back their stir amid strident protests by Shiv Sainiks.

The Ranas, however, said they were pulling back the stir as Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be in Mumbai on Sunday for an awards ceremony and they did not want the atmosphere in the metropolis and state to be vitiated over this issue during the latter's visit.

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil, speaking to reporters at another location here, condemned Friday night's attack on his party colleague Mohit Kamboj's car in Mumbai's Bandra area as well as the ruckus created by Shiv Sainiks near the Khar (in the metropolis) and Amravati residences of the Rana couple.

Patil, however, said the BJP was not demanding President's Rule in Maharashtra, but added that "the governor usually reviews the situation".

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