New Delhi, Sept. 2: Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, who agreed to a 100 per cent rollback on power tariffs two days ago, is headed for a confrontation with the party on September 8 when the Congress coordination committee is scheduled to meet.

Congress leaders and Delhi MPs such as Ajay Maken and Jagdish Tytler have openly criticised the chief minister’s move to subsidise profit-making private distribution companies in lieu of the rollback. Dikshit’s refusal to discuss the issue at a meeting of Delhi Congress leaders convened today by state unit president Ram Babu Sharma has drawn more flak.

This is the second meeting this week for which Dikshit and most of her cabinet members failed to turn up. She had skipped a similar meeting on Wednesday. “At a meeting of the MPs and CWC members on Wednesday, we had told her ministers who were present to ask her to attend today’s discussions,” said Sharma, referring to Delhi finance minister A.K. Walia.

“However, she sent a letter to me asking me to discuss the issue with all concerned so that it can be taken up at the coordination committee meeting between the Delhi government and the Delhi Congress on September 8,” he said.

The state party chief said he would write to Congress president Sonia Gandhi first and apprise her of the developments and will meet her “if and when given time”.

Tytler said Dikshit’s move of abstaining from today’s meeting showed “insensitivity” towards an issue affecting lakhs of citizens.

“We were not sitting here for fun. The meeting was called to discuss a very important issue,” he said.

More than two dozen Congress MLAs have signed a letter to Sonia, as well as party leaders Ahmed Patel and Ambika Soni, demanding a review of the government’s decision to give a 5 per cent subsidy to private companies.

Besides, the Central Vigilance Commissioner has also asked for the Delhi chief secretary’s reply on the privatisation of Delhi Vidyut Board.