History repeats, Chandrababu ready for another power tariff hike

Chandrababu Naidu, whose downfall in 2004 began with his hiking of power tariff, is all set to effect a similar hike in Andhra Pradesh again.

According to reports, AP Electricity Regulatory Authority proposed to hike a minimum of Rs 0.50 to 1.50 extra per unit.
The total financial burden on account of the proposed hike is expected to be around Rs 4,000 crore affecting domestic, commercial and industrial consumers.
The amount will be higher for the consumers who are in the 500 + category.
This could make summer hotter and costlier for the people of Andhra Pradesh as they have to shell out more for the power.
During his previous rule, Chandrababu had effected a power hike and had to face a barrage of protests from the people and the Opposition parties. The protests culminated into the massive Basheerbagh agitation, during which Chandrababu's security forces fired and killed several persons. This led to the crystallisation of discontent against his autocratic rule and finally caused his downfall.