NEW DELHI, July 4 � The State BJP today claimed that Union Minister of State for Power Piyush Goyal�s comments on the Subansiri project were based on Assam and Arunachal Pradesh government�s report to the Centre.
The State BJP today hurriedly convened a press conference fielding State vice president Siddharth Bhattacharyya to clarify that Goyal�s statement was based on the reports submitted by the �two Congress-ruled State governments�.
The party blamed the Congress party for the confusion, stating that both the State governments were eager to restart work of the controversial 2,000 MW Subansiri (lower) hydroelectric project.
The State BJP leaders landed in trouble after Goyal told media on Thursday that the Centre would convene a meeting of all stakeholders to explain the importance of the Subansiri project and the pressing need to generate power to resolve the power crisis.
Goyal pointed out that if Assam has to resolve its power crisis then the dams would have to be operationalised. He also added that Assam has already notified the Centre that the impasse surrounding the project has been resolved.
Goyal had said that the conference with the stakeholders would be an in-camera meeting and only leaders of the agitating groups would be invited.
Bhattacharyya sought to justify the Minister�s statement by explaining that Assam Chief Secretary and the Arunachal Pradesh government had submitted reports stating that work on the project, stalled since 2011, can resume.
The Assam government had said that there was no problem and Arunachal Pradesh also said the same thing. And the Union Power Minister made the statement on the basis of these two statements.
�The Minister has not said that project work would restart. All he said was that they were going to take a decision based on the consensus that emerges after the discussions with the stakeholders,� Bhattacharyya claimed.
Yesterday, a high-powered delegation, led by State BJP president and Union Minister of State Sarbananda Sonowal, called on the Union Power Minister regarding the mega dam issue.
The Assam BJP had, during the election campaign, made it clear that the party would not be involved to any mega hydro project, which may have an adverse impact on life and livelihood of the people of the State.
