Gujarat elections: Kejriwal promises free electricity
The AAP will provide 300 units of free electricity per month to every household if the party is voted to power in the Gujarat assembly elections later this year, party convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will provide 300 units of free electricity per month to every household if the party is voted to power in the Gujarat assembly elections later this year, party convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday.
Kejriwal was addressing a town hall meeting in Surat when he also guaranteed uninterrupted power supply without any cuts.
“We have delivered our promise of free electricity in Delhi and in Punjab, where the party came to power on March 16 this year. In Gujarat, people are facing the issue of costly electricity. We will not only provide free power upto 300 units but also ensure 24 hours of uninterrupted power,” he said.
“We will implement this within three months of being voted to power. You will have to pay nothing if the bill amount is within 300 units,” he said, adding that consumers who use more than 300 units of electricity will have to pay the entire bill amount.
The AAP chief also assured that all pending electricity bills issued before December 31, 2021 will be waived, alleging majority of them did not reflect the real power consumption and electricity companies “harassed” people to settle such matters.
“I am giving you a guarantee. If you find any fault afterwards, you are free not to vote for the AAP in subsequent elections. We will fulfil all the guarantees once we come to power,” he said.
Kejriwal said his party has decided to do so to ease the burden of inflation on the masses.
AAP is also looking at providing free power for agriculture and will come up with a plan soon, he said.
“I know the magic of providing free electricity to the people. It is a blessing from above. Nobody else knows it or can do it. So even if somebody else tries to make such a promise to you, do not trust them. Only I can deliver the promise of free electricity,” he added.
Kejriwal arrived in Surat late on Wednesday night.
Before his arrival, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief C R Paatil said people should not get misguided by ‘revadi’, a popular sweet often distributed during festivals, as a metaphor for freebies offered by political parties.
The culture of offering freebies could eventually turn the state and India into Sri Lanka, which is reeling under a severe economic crisis, Paatil said, without naming anyone.
Responding to this, Kejriwal said: “Revadi is offered as prasad in temples and it should be accepted with full respect. So, if giving free electricity or free education is seen as ‘revadi’, it is like a blessing from the gods.”
