Kejriwal defies officials, restores power to home

In an act of defiance, minutes after power authorities severed electricity connection to his Ghaziabad home today for non-payment of bills since March, Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal re-connected the wire. Nivedita Khandekar reports.

In an act of defiance, minutes after power authorities severed electricity connection to his Ghaziabad home on Thursday for non-payment of bills since March, Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal re-connected the wire.

As part of AAP’s civil disobedience movement, Kejriwal had announced in March that he will not pay power and water bills because the consumers were allegedly charged inflated sums due to corrupt practices.

“My electricity connection disconnected today. I have connected it back as we are doing like everyone else. Am ready to face consequences,” Kejriwal tweeted soon after he restored electricity to his home.

The AAP, after deciding to join electoral politics, turned the issue of the alleged inflated power and water bills as one of the major planks for the assembly polls in Delhi in November.

Kejriwal, who has a house in Kaushambi in Ghaziabad, lives in a rented house in Delhi at present and will be contesting against Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit.

Asked did he anticipate any official action against his act of defiance, he said, “I had declared that I will not pay the bills till November in solidarity with Delhiites. Let’s see what happens next,” he told HT.

AAP has collected about 10 lakh letters from people, reportedly pledging not to pay power and water bills. The party activists had also burnt scores of power and water bills in March as a mark of civil disobedience.