Cong uses RTI Act to seek copy of MoU between UP, Reliance Energy

Lucknow, July 10 (UNI) Congress today invoked the Right to Information Act to get a copy of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Uttar Pradesh government and Reliance Energy, while charging the Mulayam Singh Yadav government with keeping the contents of the document ''a closely guarded secret.'' The party alleged the state government was delibrately trying to keep the contents of the documents a secret. ''It is the right of the common man to know the details about the deal,'' it said.

''Chief minister Mulayam Singh, who terms himself a custodian of farmers' interests, is being seen as the custodian of the interests of influential business families,'' said UP Congress chief spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh.

Mr Singh alleged while Reliance and the SP government had promised to start the project in two years, ''not even a single brick has been laid at the proposed site in Dadri.'' ''While UP purchased land from farmers using Rs 100 crore from the contingency fund two years ago, Reliance has not spent any of the Rs 6,000 crore it had reportedly earmarked for the project.'' Mr Singh alleged in a bid to protect the interests of business houses, the state government had refused Rs 16,000 crore from the Centre to set up a 'mega power project' in UP in public sector.

Congress also reminded about the alleged use of force by the state machinery on farmers protesting poor compensation of their cultivable land at Dadri last week.

UNI NAB VS RL RS1907