New Delhi/Chennai, April 23: Left parties have warned the government of a 48-hour strike in the power sector if it goes back on its commitment to review the 2003 electricity act. The threat of a power pinch at the height of summer has come along with another ? a punch in Parliament over the pension bill.

In Chennai, the CPM today cautioned the Congress-led central coalition against proceeding with the pension bill lest it faced an ?embarrassment?.

At a meeting two days ago in Delhi, Left leaders decided to write two letters ? one to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the other to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi ? reminding them of the commitment in the common minimum programme (CMP) to re-examine the electricity act passed by the previous government.

The common document says a review of the act ?will be undertaken in view of the concern expressed by a number of states?. The CMP also talks about extending the ?mandatory date, of June 10, 2004, for unbundling and replacing? state electricity boards.

While unbundling would result in generation, distribution and transmission being undertaken by three different companies, the Left?s main grouse is the way state electricity boards and distribution agencies would be privatised under the act.

The absence of a positive response from the government despite repeated appeals has stoked the Left?s disaffection. This time, the leaders are planning a 48-hour strike.

They are, however, in a dilemma. ?We do not want to antagonise the people with a disruption in power supply at the height of summer,? said a Left leader. ?At the same time, the government will not take us seriously if there is no disruption in power supply.?

The modalities of the strike are yet to be worked out.

Left parties insist that power should be made available at an affordable rate to all sections.

On the pension bill, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters in Chennai that his party would write to the Prime Minister to convey its opposition. ?We have asked the government to reconsider it as it is a money bill and we do not want the government to suffer embarrassment on this count.?

Defeat of the bill would lead to the fall of the government because it is a money bill.

The government had bought time on the pension bill by referring it to a parliamentary panel. But Karat said the bill would be opposed when it returns. ?We will oppose it on the floor of Parliament.?

Karat said the bill seeks to ?change the very nature of the pension system?.

The scheme involves employees making contributions to a fund, which would be made available to private companies to ?play the stock market?, he added. ?We cannot accept such a scheme.?