Delhi Chief Minister-designate Atishi said on Friday that if the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is not voted back to power in the upcoming assembly election due early next year, the national capital is bound to see a power tariff hike .
“In times to come, the BJP will conspirire with the LG to make electricity expensive in Delhi. I promise on behalf of the AAP and Arvind Kejriwal that we will not let the price of electricity increase in the national capital,” she asserted.
She said it goes to the credit of the AAP government that round-the-clock electricity is available to the people of Delhi at low tariff rates in stark contrast to other states. Citing the example of BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh where charges for electricity connections have recently been hiked, Atishi said, “The BJP wants to increase the electricity prices in Delhi too.”
Pointing out that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh increased the charges of electricity connection by 250 per cent, the AAP leader said poor families living in villages and farmers, who take small connections of one kilowatt (kW), are now forced to pay up Rs 3,000 for power against Rs 1,200 they used to pay earlier.
“After the revision of power tariff rates in UP, If one has to get a five-kW connection, which is a normal practice among middle-class households, pay anywhere between Rs 7,967 and Rs 17,365 per five kW as the power rates have been increaded by 118 per cent,” she added.
“The BJP model of electricity supply means long power cuts and the most expensive electricity. This is the reason why the people of Delhi need to bring Arvind Kejriwal back to power and make him the chief minister lest electricity will expensive and long power cuts will be a norm in Delhi as has been seen in Uttar Pradesh,” she contended.