‘Under Congress rule, Delhi had 8-10 hours of power cuts’: Kejriwal slams INDIA bloc ally

Arvind Kejriwal attacked the Congress ahead of the Delhi assembly election, likely to be held in February.

Former Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday claimed Delhi used to experience hours long power cuts under the previous Congress regime, with his attack on the grand old party coming ahead of the Delhi assembly election, likely to be held in February.

New Delhi: Former Delhi chief minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal addresses a press conference, in New Delhi, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (PTI Photo/Manvender Vashist Lav) (PTI)

The AAP and Congress are among over two dozen constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc nationally.

“10 years ago, people made me chief minister. You asked me to improve education facilities, and I did that. When the Congress was in power, there used to be 8-10 hours of power cuts. But now, people don't have to use invertors and generators,” Kejriwal said.

He was addressing a public gathering at the Kalkaji assembly constituency with party colleague Atishi, the Kalkaji legislator who succeeded him as chief minister. In a surprise move in September, Kejriwal resigned as chief minister, days after the Supreme Court granted him bail in the excise policy case but restrained him from undertaking official duties.

Explaining the decision, the civil servant-turned-politician said he wanted a “certificate of honesty” from the people and would not hold any post before the election.

In December 2013, the AAP formed government in Delhi with outside support from the Congress. Kejriwal succeeded Congress stalwart Sheila Dikshit as chief minister.

Since then, AAP has ousted the Congress from power in Punjab, and ventured in other states. It has been accused by the latter of benefitting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by allegedly enabling division of anti-BJP votes.

However, in July 2023, they joined hands with fellow opposition parties to form the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to challenge the BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.