NEW DELHI: Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday criticised the BJP over frequent power outages in the national capital, accusing the ruling party of undoing the improvements made during the AAP’s 10-year tenure.
In a tweet on X, Kejriwal claimed that the BJP government had “damaged” the power system that AAP had “fixed” with great difficulty. “In the last ten years, we have fixed the power system of Delhi with great difficulty. It is said that it takes years to fix anything, but it can be damaged in just two days,” he wrote.
Kejriwal further pointed out that the peak power demand on Wednesday had reached 5462 MW, with power cuts as a result. He compared this to his tenure, when peak demand reached 8500 MW, yet no power outages occurred.
“What will happen in the coming weeks when the heat in Delhi increases and the demand for electricity rises?” Kejriwal questioned, drawing attention to the approaching summer months. The AAP has ramped up its criticism of the BJP-led Delhi government over the power issue. Over the past 24 hours, Atishi, the AAP leader and former chief minister, shared posts highlighting the power cuts and criticized Power Minister Ashish Sood for poor electricity supply.
“Delhites now routinely call out the excuses made by Power Minister Ashish Sood, who claims these are scheduled cuts for maintenance,” Atishi wrote on X.
Earlier in March, Kejriwal had claimed that power outages had returned to Delhi since the BJP took charge, but was countered by Power Minister Sood, who presented data showing that during AAP’s tenure, Delhi experienced approximately 21,600 power cuts lasting over an hour. Atishi also held a press conference, stating that even at a peak demand of 8500 MW, Delhi did not face any power cuts during AAP’s government.
She described the current situation as “alarming,” saying, “If this is the condition in April, what will happen in the peak heat of June and July?”