These are not the words of any opposition leader, but that of the chief minister Nitish Kumar when power went off on the opening day of the Winter Session of State Assembly.

Though the House was adjourned after a brief obituary references the chief minister was very much in his chamber in the state Assembly meeting legislators.

Sensing the mood of the chief minister the bureaucrats swung into action and within five minutes the power supply was restored.

But that was not before the chief minister himself declared that there was no justification for the quality power surcharge by Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) in such a situation. The BSEB was to impose the surcharge from December 1 but had deferred its proposal for the time being as it could not assure quality supply to consumers.

The electricity cut in the heart of power centre of Bihar exposed the tall claims of BSEB that it is making full preparation for round-the-clock electricity supply in Patna, Bodh Gaya and Rajgir for which it had proposed a new 10% surcharge on consumers.

Political observers were surprised at the anger of the chief minister. They ask as to how can the chief minister of the state pass the blame on the power board for poor electricity supply. “Was the decision to raise tariff by 10 per cent taken without the consent of the state government. If that is true who is to be held responsible for the doubling of power rate in the last one year,” one of them asked. He said that the chief minister, with the help of the media, only wants to play to the gallery. But he can not wash his hands of by play acting for the public consumption.

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