300 units of free electricity per month if AAP comes to power: Kejriwal in Gujarat

Surat, July 21: Aam Aadmi Party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal has given a "guarantee" to the people of Gujarat on Thursday that his party will provide free electricity up to 300 units per month to each household if come to power.

Addressing people at a town hall in Surat, the Delhi Chief Minister said, "This is being done for the first time in the history of India."

Kejriwal, who has made free electricity a major poll plank in Gujarat, assured that all pending electricity bills issued before December 31, 2021 will be waived, saying majority of them did not reflect the real power consumption and electricity companies "harassed" people to settle such matters.

"Electricity was already free in Delhi and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) made it free in Punjab within three months of forming government in that state," ANI quoted him as saying. "As people of Gujarat also want such a relief, I hereby give a guarantee that we will provide free electricity up to 300 units to each family if voted to power after the forthcoming Assembly elections," Kejriwal told the gathering during his second visit to the state this month.

Taking potshot at the BJP, the AAP leader said what he is promising today is his guarantee and not a "jumla" (rhetoric) which other political parties mention in their manifesto ahead of polls. "I am giving you a guarantee. If you find any fault afterwards, you are free not to vote for the AAP in subsequent elections. We will fulfil all the guarantees once we come to power," Kejriwal said.

The AAP convener pointed out that after consumption of 300 units of power per month for free, normal rates will be applicable, he said. "There is no use of free electricity if there are power cuts. I heard that many villages and towns in Gujarat still experience power cuts. Thus, I guarantee that we will provide uninterrupted free power supply 24X7 without any cuts," he said.

Smalling the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for calling such freebies as "revadi culture", the Delhi CM said it was the BJP which had promised to provide 200 units of free electricity to the people of West Bengal ahead of the Assembly polls.