New Delhi, March 31 (IANS) Former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Monday slammed the BJP government for alleged long power cuts, a claim dismissed as a baseless ‘political stunt’ by the ruling party, which also accused the previous AAP government of corruption in the power sector.
In a press conference on Monday, Atishi said, “Before the AAP government came to power, long power cuts were normal in the national capital.”
“Every household used to have inverters. But after Arvind Kejriwal became the chief minister of Delhi in February 2015, power cuts became history,” she added.
“But now, after the BJP formed the government in the city, power cuts are on the rise,” Atishi claimed.
“How is it that in 10 years there were no outages, but within a month of BJP rule, power cuts are back? This means only one thing: the BJP doesn’t know how to run the government. They neither have the intention nor the capability to serve the people of Delhi,” she said.
In response, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said that Atishi always showcases the improvement in the power supply network in the city as an achievement of the previous AAP government, however, it is unfortunate that the Arvind Kejriwal government, between 2015 and 2025, was involved in corruption under the guise of improved electricity supply.
He said the condition of power supply in Delhi improved due to the investment approved by former Union Minister Arun Jaitley, who presented the Delhi budget during President’s rule in 2014.
He said Delhiites clearly remember Jaitley’s Budget speech in which he mentioned the poor state of the city’s electricity supply and emphasised investment in infrastructure. The Central government allocated Rs 675 crore for new power plants and Rs 200 crore for strengthening power transformers and wires in Delhi.
Sachdeva said not just Delhi but several cities in BJP-ruled states are getting 24-hour electricity supply.
BJP-ruled cities like Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Bangalore, and many others already have uninterrupted electricity supply, he said.
Uttar Pradesh, which until 2017-18 was considered a state with poor electricity production and supply, today shines with good power supply, he said.
Sachdeva said BJP leaders do not boast about good electricity supply in their states, because providing 24-hour electricity is a government’s obligation and not a favour to the public.
He added that apart from Jaitley’s gift to Delhi, private companies involved in power distribution also made efforts to improve power production and supply.
The Delhi BJP President also questioned Atishi, asking her whether it is not true that while showcasing 24-hour electricity supply in Delhi, the Arvind Kejriwal government colluded with private companies to engage in electricity subsidy and Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) scams.
–IANS
rch/uk
