Eye on Assembly polls, AAP-BJP spar over power bills subsidy in Delhi

Delhi is likely to go for Assembly polls in early-2020. Subsidised power bills was one of the major poll planks of the AAP in 2015.

Gearing up for the assembly elections in Delhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) trained guns at one another over subsidised power supply in the city.

Delhi’s AAP government has announced 100% power bill waiver for households consuming up to 200 units of power in a month and subsidised bills for those consuming between 201 and 400 units. (HT File)

Delhi is likely to go for Assembly polls in early-2020. Subsidised power bills was one of the major poll planks of the AAP in 2015.

“The BJP leaders have never made any demand to withdraw power bill subsidy given by the Centre to member of Parliaments. But they are opposed to the same benefits when they are provided to the common people of Delhi,” said Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is also the national convener of the AAP.

He further said, “They get 4,000 units of free power in a month and oppose when it comes to 200 units for the common man. Now it is easier for people to chose between two conflicting models of growth.”

The BJP’s Delhi unit president Manoj Tiwari said, “The intention behind distributing freebies is to grab power again but the people have understood his [Kejriwal’s] evil intentions.”

He further said, “The question is that the private companies [engaged in power distribution] which have been looting the people of Delhi for the last four-and-a-half years are now providing free power to the people. How? The reality is that Kejriwal is working as the agent of those companies and giving crores of taxpayers money as subsidy to these companies.”

The power tariffs are decided by the Power regulator Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission, an independent and quasi-judicial body.

Earlier this year, the ruling AAP government in Delhi announced 100% power bill waiver for households consuming up to 200 units of power in a month and subsidised bills for those consuming between 201 and 400 units.