Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has promised Punjab an enormous incentive for votes in next year’s assembly elections — 24-hour electricity, 300 units free for every family and a waiver on previous power bills. Pointing to Delhi, where he made similar promises before polls, Mr Kejriwal said, “This is Kejriwal’s promise, not Captain’s vows. We deliver our promises. Captain’s promises haven’t been fulfilled even after 5 years”.
Speaking at Chandigarh Press Club, the Delhi Chief Minister — who has been trying to feature Punjab to his bag — said if AAP wins in Punjab, the facility bill waiver promise are going to be met immediately.
Every household within the state also will get free electricity up to 300 units. “By doing this, around 77 per cent to 80 per cent people of Punjab will have zero electricity bill,” he said.
The promise of 24X7 power supply might take up to 3 years to satisfy , he warned his audience.
Ebullient after its 2015 victory in Delhi, AAP had hoped to bag neighbouring Punjab after two years. But its promises of a number of freebies including 25 lakh jobs, ₹ 5 meals, free WiFi, entrepreneurship schemes, old-age pensions and drug-free state had did not draw enough votes.
AAP ended up with only 20 seats. The Congress scooped up 77 seats, ending the 10-year rule of the Akali-BJP government.
Indicating that the party has done its homework this point , Mr Kejriwal said that they had reached bent people from across Punjab and located that they’re “very unhappy” about the electricity costs. “Some women said electricity bills are sometimes of fifty per cent of the household income. How are they to manage?” he said.
