Wednesday, August 31 2005 15:23 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit headed for more trouble with party leaders calling for her resignation for mishandling the power crisis in the capital and disagreeing to her proposal to give subsidy in power tariff.

The demand for her resignation was raised by her one time confidant Ajay Maken at a meeting of party MPs and leaders from the capital to discuss yesterday's Common Law Principles (CLP) resolution calling for rollback in the hike in power tariff for domestic and agricultural consumers.

Party sources said New Delhi MP Maken went to the extent of demanding Dikshit's resignation for "mishandling" the power crisis in the capital.

Maken, however, neither denied nor confirmed this saying "I refuse to comment on the issue."

Sources said Maken expressed dissatisfaction over the manner in which the Chief Minister changed stands on the issue in recent days.

The meeting was attended all MPs from the capital except Kapil Sibal and Dikshit's son Sandeep. The Chief Minister, who was busy at the National Integration Council meeting, was represented by Delhi Power Minister Haroon Yusuf and Finance Minister A K Walia.

Besides MPs and Delhi Ministers, the meeting was attended by several MLAs including DPCC chief Rambabu Sharma, Subhash Chopra and Tajdar Babbar.

The leaders were against the proposal of government giving any money to the power companies and asked it to search for some other options.

"It has been said that the Government will pay 5 per cent as subsidy and the rest 5 per cent will be shared by Discom. But why should the government even pay this 5 per cent. Let the power companies bear the entire burden," said Jagdish Tytler, an MP from Sadar Lok Sabha constituency.