AAP government taking revenge from Delhiites for civic polls defeat: BJP

New Delhi, June 7: Alleging the Delhi government's connivance with private discoms, the BJP on Wednesday said the AAP government was wreaking "political revenge" on the capital's residents through outages for its defeat in the April 23 municipal elections.

The party also said that it will protest near Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence here on Thursday to expose what it said was the AAP government's failures on the power and water supply fronts.

"Power cuts and breakdowns are a result of criminal negligence on the part of the government and its connivance with private partners in power discoms in the capital," Bharatiya Janata Party Delhi unit President Manoj Tiwari told media persons here.

He said there is no shortage in availability of power or water for Delhi. "Yet, the people of Delhi are suffering since the government is going all out to victimise them for rejecting the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in the elections to three Municipal Corporations of Delhi," the BJP leader said.

Tiwari said his party will go to the people to apprise them of the Kejriwal government's total failure. Tiwari, who represents North-East Delhi in the Lok Sabha, said nothing could be a "bigger farce" played on Delhi people than Kejriwal's warning to impose penalty on discoms for unscheduled power cuts.

He said three summer seasons had gone by but the Delhi government had failed to enforce the penalty clause. "It is because the Kejriwal government has no will to improve the situation," Tiwari said.

The BJP leader said the talk of scheduled and unscheduled power cuts is by itself an admission by the government on the poor power supply situation in the national capital.

Tiwari said the Delhi government failed to chalk out an action plan on power availability for the summer months and made no efforts to ensure purchase of adequate electricity to meet peak-hour demands.

He said no augmentation or maintenance work had been carried out vis-a-vis power supply infrastructure. The BJP leader also claimed that water supply plants were not working to their capacity and water leaks and theft were going on unchecked.

Delhi BJP affairs incharge Shyam Jaju said the party will hold a protest demonstration near the Chief Minister's residence on Thursday.

Jaju said the BJP has also written to Lt. Governor Anil Baijal to call for an all-party meeting to discuss the Kejriwal government's failure to formulate action plan on supply of power and water in the summer season.

IANS