Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday promised up to 300 units of free electricity per household in Goa and free power to farmers if his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is voted to power in the 2022 assembly elections in the state.
“I have come to give a guarantee that if our party comes to power, each family, each month will get 300 free units (of electricity). Just like in Delhi, the bill will come to your home but the amount to be paid will be zero. No tax, no surcharge,” said Kejriwal, who is on a two-day visit to the poll-bound state.
He said in Delhi, 73% of the people were availing free electricity. “In Goa, 87% of the state will have to pay zero electricity bills,” he said. “These are real promises not like other parties who give chunavi jumla (poll rhetoric). This is my guarantee.” Kejriwal promised to fix Goa’s power distribution infrastructure to ensure a 24-hour power supply.
Kejriwal has made similar promises in poll-bound states of Uttarakhand and Punjab. His pledge in Uttarakhand came after the hill state’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promised to provide the first 100 units of electricity for free and the next 100 at a 50% discount.
{{/usCountry}}Kejriwal has made similar promises in poll-bound states of Uttarakhand and Punjab. His pledge in Uttarakhand came after the hill state’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promised to provide the first 100 units of electricity for free and the next 100 at a 50% discount.
{{/usCountry}}In Goa, Kejriwal said before AAP came to power in Delhi, the city experienced seven to eight hours of power cuts even in the summers. “There are problems in the Goa distribution network, just like in Delhi. We changed the transformers, cables. It took 2-1/2 years, but today we get 24-hour electricity.”
Kejriwal said his party wants clean politics in Goa. “Your politics is corrupt. Two years back on July 10, 10 Congress MLAs (members of legislative assembly) defected to the BJP. The people gave the mandate to Congress (in 2017), but the government was formed by the BJP. The party (BJP) that had 13 MLAs has 27 today. Then why have elections at all? There is no meaning to the elections. This is cheating. It is not right,” he said.
The Congress emerged as the single largest party in the state in 2017 with 17 lawmakers in the 40-member House. But BJP formed the government with the help of the Goa Forward Party, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Independents taking nine MLAs on board. In 2019, 10 Congress lawmakers defected to the BJP and two in 2018 and one is 2017 itself.
Kejriwal called for “new politics” and a new political party for it in Goa. He said AAP is strengthening its organisation in Goa and represented a real alternative to the two major political parties--BJP and Congress.
The defections are emerging as a major issue ahead of the polls in Goa. Congress has decided to move a resolution in the assembly for strengthening the anti-defection law.
Also Read | Amid poll push, Kejriwal meets MGP chief in Goa
“He can spend the next six months in Goa along with his whole cabinet and even run the Delhi government from here while simultananeously campainging but it will be to no avail. It will not make a difference to us,” state BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade said. “We will win the upcoming elections on our own strength and with the blessings of the people,” he added.
Congress senior spokesperson and national media panelist Trajano D’Mello said that since the AAP would not be coming to power in Goa they are free to make any promises no matter how unrealistic.
“Since he has said that if AAP is coming to power they will give free electricity, he is already conceding that he will not be coming to power. Besides, if he is serious about his promise why doesn’t he start paying people’s electricity bills already like they have begun distributing ration already? D’Mello asked.
Independent commentator Prabhakar Timble said that the party’s announcement would not cut much ice with Goa’s electorate especially the segment that AAP is targeting since the problem of exhorbitant power bills is not something that is an issue in Goa.
“In Delhi the average electricity bill is above ₹5,000 in the non summer months so power bills were a genuine complaint. Here the rates are reasonable,” Timble said. “Besides the very constituency that AAP is targeting and who are cheering him on will not stand to benefit from the measure,” he added.