Power politics in Indian coalition government

India's Hindu Nationalist-led government is being urged by one of its coalition partners to drop its plans to introduce a bill to establish a power regulatory commission.

The leader of the Tamil regional party Aiadmk, J Jayalalitha, says the bill would end the free supply of electricity to farmers.

But the Federal Power Minister argues the state governments could finance free power from their budgets.

A BBC correspondent in Madras says Aiadmk's support is vital for the survival of the government.

This, analysts say, could make it hard for the prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to ignore Ms Jayalalitha's wishes.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service