Ludhiana: BJP slams AAP over power cuts

Senior BJP leader and former MP Avinash Rai Khanna pointed out that before coming to power, AAP had promised 24-hour electricity to Punjab residents

Senior BJP leader and former MP Avinash Rai Khanna took a sharp dig at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Friday, raising concerns over “long and unscheduled power cuts” in Ludhiana.

Former Rajya Sabha member Avinash Rai Khanna addressing a press conference in Ludhiana on Saturday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

Khanna, who was addressing mediapersons in Ludhiana West, pointed out that before coming to power, AAP had promised 24-hour electricity to Punjab residents. “Have you received uninterrupted electricity in the last three years, especially in peak summers?” he questioned.

He said that areas like Gurudev Nagar, Sarabha Nagar, Rishi Nagar, Punjab Mata Nagar, BRS Nagar, Rajguru Nagar and Sunet have been reeling under power outages of 10 to 12 hours daily. Khanna demanded an explanation from Sanjeev Arora, asking what he has done so far to stop these power outages.

Khanna also targeted AAP’s promises to the industrial sector. “Kejriwal promised ₹5 per unit electricity for businesses. Today, traders are being charged ₹10 per unit while other categories get power nearly for free. Why is Sanjeev Arora silent on this?” he questioned.

“Voters in Ludhiana West should evaluate the performance of the ruling party based on reality, not speeches,” he said.

Prominent BJP leaders including district president Rajnish Dhiman, state general secretary Dayal Singh Sodhi, district general secretary Narendra Singh Malli, spokesperson Kamaljit Singh Soi, Preetpal Singh Baliwal, former state media secretary Sunil Singla and press secretary Satish Kumar were present during the press meet.