Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has expressed his displeasure to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the deduction of ₹1,417 crore as power dues of Damodar Valley Corporation, contending that it has “soured” relations of the State government with the Centre.
In a letter to Mr. Modi, Mr. Soren said, the step was unconstitutional and hurt the federal structure of the country.
“Due to this deduction, relations between Jharkhand and the central government have soured,” he said.
Mr. Soren said the total power dues of DVC was ₹5,500 crore, out of which, ₹1,417 crore was debited from the State’s account, which was “neither justified nor constitutional“.
The Chief Minister urged the PM to return the amount and ensure that such deductions do not happen in the future in view of the pandemic.
“The Centre is requested to reverse the decision and credit the sum as Jharkhand is a tribal-dominated State,” Mr. Soren said in the letter late on Thursday.
He also sought a meeting with the Prime Minister to apprise him of the issue.