By PTI
MOHALI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said he is sending his Punjab counterpart Charanjit Singh Channi copies of one lakh ‘zero’ amount electricity bills and dared him to show even 1,000 such bills of his state.
Kejriwal, while addressing a gathering here, said unlike his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which delivers on its promises such as free electricity, Channi makes “false announcements every day”.
Last year, Kejriwal had announced 100 per cent subsidy for those Delhi households that consume up to 200 units of electricity.
Consumers of 201-400 units received approximately 50 per cent subsidy.
The AAP, which is the main opposition party in Punjab, has promised up to 300 units of free electricity for each household if it wins the 2022 assembly polls in the state.
At the gathering, Kejriwal presented copies of one lakh electricity bills of Delhi consumers, claiming they were “zero bills”.
Seventy to seventy-five per cent of people in Delhi get zero amount electricity bills and still there is 24 hours electricity supply, claimed the AAP leader who is on a visit to poll-bound Punjab.
Kejriwal said he has already announced to make up to 300 units of electricity free in Punjab if the AAP comes to power next year.
Following the AAP’s announcement, Channi claimed that electricity has been made “free” in the state, Kejriwal said and asked those present at the gathering if any of them have got zero amount electricity bills so far.
“Did he (Channi) lie,” the AAP leader asked.
Kejriwal said that out of 50 lakh, 35 lakh electricity consumers in Delhi got zero amount electricity bills last month.
“Today, I have brought proof that electricity in Delhi is free. I brought one lakh such electricity bills. Channi sahab can see them. We will send these bundles of electricity bills to Channi sahab,” the Delhi chief minister said.
“I want to challenge Channi sahab to show 1,000 electricity bills in Punjab, which have zero amount,” he said, adding that if people want “zero bill”, then they have to ensure the AAP wins in Punjab.
Accusing Channi of making “false” promises, Kejriwal said the Punjab chief minister had promised five marla plots for homeless people, but has not fulfilled it yet.
He said Channi had claimed that the price of sand had been slashed to Rs 5 per cubic feet but it was still being sold at Rs 35 per cubic feet.
The Channi government had claimed to regularise services of 36,000 contractual and outsourced employees in Punjab but not a single person has been made permanent, he said.
“Channi is making false announcements every day and not a single announcement has been implemented,” said Kejriwal.
Earlier, Kejriwal said the chief ministerial face of the AAP for the upcoming assembly polls will be from Punjab, amid slogans raised by some party supporters in favour of the party’s state unit chief Bhagwant Mann.
When Kejriwal was about to start his speech, an elderly man told him that the AAP’s chief ministerial candidate should not be an outsider.
“It is my promise that the CM candidate will be from Punjab,” said Kejriwal.
Before the AAP convenor could say anything more, some party supporters started raising slogans in favour of Mann.
Then Mann intervened and asked those raising slogans to listen to Kejriwal.
Kejriwal then told people not to get into all this and asked them whether they wanted to put Punjab back on track or make somebody minister or legislator.
Notably, Kejriwal had said a few months ago that the AAP’s chief ministerial face would be from the Sikh community.
Kejriwal also targeted Channi’s predecessor Amarinder Singh, saying the former chief minister of Punjab had also made several promises but he also did not implement them.
“Channi is spending a lot of government money on various advertisements and hoardings for his fake publicity, but he is not doing any work at the grassroots level.
Due to this, today every section including unemployed teachers, employees, farmers, traders, doctors, nurses is sitting on dharna and protests,” the AAP leader said.
He claimed that all the promises made by the AAP to the people of Delhi have been fulfilled.
While in Punjab, the Congress and the Akalis (Shiromani Akali Dal) had promised a lot to the people, they did not provide any facilities after forming government, he alleged.
Kejriwal said, “We have guaranteed free electricity to the people of Punjab, 24 hours uninterrupted power supply, opening of 16,000 mohalla clinics, giving Rs 1,000 per month to women, improving school and education system and building good hospitals and eradicating corruption.”
“With the formation of the AAP’s government in Punjab, all the guarantees will be fulfilled at all costs,” he said.
He appealed to the people of Punjab to give one chance to his party, saying they have already given chances to the Congress and the Akalis.
