Delhi BJP Chief Criticizes AAP Government Over Electricity Price Hike
Mumbai: Delhi BJP Chief Virendra Sachdeva criticized the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Sunday for increasing electricity prices for domestic consumers, describing the rise as a form of exploitation of the people of Delhi.
“Delhi government is looting the people of Delhi. The common man is struggling due to a hike in electricity bills. Every person who is paying the electricity bill with honesty is being looted,” Sachdeva told ANI.
In February this year, the Delhi government revised the power purchase adjustment charge (PPAC) imposed by Discoms, resulting in a 6 to 8 percent increase in electricity bills for domestic consumers. Sachdeva claimed that funds are being unlawfully collected under the guise of PPAC surcharges and pension surcharges, with “the Delhi government and power companies enjoying this money.”
“Tomorrow, we will protest at 14 electricity offices until the PPAC and pension surcharge are withdrawn. We have written to the chairman of the DRC and demanded an inquiry into how the Delhi government and power companies are doing a scam,” he said.
On Friday, BJP workers led by Sachdeva staged a protest in Delhi against the electricity price hike. The BJP accuses the AAP government of colluding with discoms for their own gain.
In response, Delhi’s power minister and AAP leader Atishi dismissed these claims, labelling them as “rumours” aimed at misleading the public about the role of PPAC in the increased electricity costs.
Earlier, Sachdeva criticized the Kejriwal government on social media, alleging that their motive is self-serving and that the introduction of PPAC in Delhi is a ploy to facilitate corruption and operate a fraudulent system.
“The goal of the Kejriwal government in Delhi is only to fulfil personal interests; the AAP government never thought beyond this. In 2014, when Delhi was under President’s rule, the then Delhi BJP President Shri Satish Upadhyay ji, along with a delegation of RWAs, went to the then Union Energy Minister Shri Piyush Goyal and talked to the Power Discoms and got PPAC banned, due to which PPAC was not applied in electricity bills in Delhi from around August 2014 to September 2015. But the Kejriwal Government made the debut of PPAC in Delhi to expand its corruption and operate the scam system and by making PPAC a part of the Business Regulation Plan for calculating power tariffs in Delhi, the Kejriwal Government has given it constitutional protection,” he said.
He also raised concerns about the PPAC rising significantly from 1.5 percent in 2015 to 46 percent currently.
“Today, the pension surcharge, which was 1% in 2015, has increased to 7.5 per cent and the metre charge and load surcharge have also increased three times in 10 years. Seeing the situation of our citizens in Delhi, a protest was held in Delhi today in which BJP workers and common people were present in huge numbers. Kejriwal and Atishi should answer how PPAC increased from 1.5 per cent to 46 per cent,” he said.
The ongoing controversy over the electricity price hike highlights the continuing political tussle between the BJP and AAP in the capital. As the protests continue, Delhiites await further developments on this critical issue affecting their daily lives.
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