New Delhi/Chandigarh: Delhi CM and AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday guaranteed the people of Punjab 300 units of free electricity, waive off of all the old electricity bills and arrears and 24 electricity bills. He said that all the arrears and pending bills of domestic consumption will be waived off. He said that it is because there is a dirty nexus between the electricity companies and the ruling party in Punjab. The state of Punjab generates its own electricity more than it needs, even then the electricity rate so high in Punjab, Delhi has cheaper electricity even after buying from other states, he added.


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Arvind Kejriwal said, "Today we are going to make some big and very important announcements. I am very hopeful that because of these announcements, the people of Punjab and especially the women will be very happy. Just as my brother Bhagwant Mann said, in the entire country, the electricity rates are the highest in Punjab. Why is that so? The state of Punjab generates its own electricity, more than it needs. Even then why is the electricity rate so high in Punjab?"


He said, "We do not produce electricity in Delhi, we buy electricity from the other states instead. Despite that, the cheapest electricity is in Delhi. Why is electricity so expensive in Punjab? It is because there is a dirty nexus between the electricity companies and the ruling party in Punjab. It is because of this nexus that electricity is so expensive in Punjab. We have to end this nexus. If that is done, and we mend the electricity companies, electricity in Punjab will also become cheap, just like Delhi."


He said, "Since the past one year we, and the workers of our party, are fighting to reduce the costs of electricity in Punjab under the leadership of Bhagwant Mann Ji, Cheema Ji, and our other MLAs. We have conducted so many strikes and movements. We went to the villages to hear the problems of the people. The people in Punjab are very unhappy. Everywhere they are unhappy. We installed camps in Jalandhar, Bhatinda, Ludhiana, Pathankot, everywhere the people are unhappy about the electricity situation. You can go to any village, every person in the village is upset about the electricity bills."
 
He said, "The other day, I received a call from Bhagwant who was visibly upset when he told me that a poor man who had 2 bulbs and 1 fan in his home received a bill of Rs50,900. He could not pay so they came and cut his electricity supply. Now how will he live? How can anyone live without electricity in today's time? The most upset are the women. Why? A man works, does business, runs a shop, earns for the whole month, and hands over the money to his wife. The entire household is then run by our wives, our sisters, and our mothers. There have been so many houses where the women told that more than half of their money goes into paying electricity bills. How will they eat, and make their children study? How will things work? The most upset are the women. So the way we fought the elections in 2013 in Delhi, the situation was the same in Delhi. People used to get vague bills, some used to get Rs 50,000 and some Rs 1 lakh. People were upset about their electricity bills. There was a nexus between the electricity companies and the ruling party, just the way it is in Punjab. Today I am very proud to say that after a government of 6-7 years there is 24/7 electricity in Delhi and it is the cheapest out there."  


Arvind Kejriwal said, "Now we have to do this in Punjab as well. If a government is formed in Punjab then 3 big things will be done. 3 big announcements which are a part of our 1st guarantee is that the Aam Aadmi Party government will give 300 units of electricity free to each family. Now some will ask us that in Delhi 200 units are given then why 300 units in Punjab. The answer to that is that as per our structure we give 200 units free to Delhi and from 200 units to 400 units, we give it at half the rate. So we made it to 300 units here. Every family will be given around 300 units of free electricity. I think, as per our calculations, the electricity bill of around 77-80 percent of the people will come down to 0. 73% of the people in Delhi get their electricity bill as 0, in Punjab around 70-80% people will get their electricity bill as zero." 


He said, "The electricity will come 24 hours, but the bill will not. The second big announcement is that as I had told you that many people have received vague and incorrect bills, how can a poor man with 1 fan and 2 bulbs receive a bill of Rs 50,900? this is wrong, the bill is wrong. Deliberately wrong bills are sent to them and when they go to correct it, they are asked for money. Our volunteers went to many villages, our Bhagwant Ji, Cheema Ji, our MLAs themselves went. In most of these villages, the people received bills worth thousands of rupees and they could not pay, so their electricity supply was cut off. Now they have pulled a line illegally. Everyone is living a life of fear. Just as our man entered the village, they started pulling off the lines and started to run away. people are living a life of fear and humiliation. We will give them a life of dignity and respect. That is why all the domestic bills will be waived off. All the arrears and pending bills of domestic consumption will be waived off." 


He said, "The third big announcement is that Punjab gets surplus electricity. the production of electricity is more and the consumption is less in Punjab. Despite that power, cuts are multiple, and for long hours. There is sometimes no electricity for farming. Electricity will be given for 24 hours, the way it was given in Delhi. So these are the three big announcements, 1. Every household will get 300 units of free electricity, 2. All old electricity bills will be waived off and they will be given new connections along with a life of dignity, and 3.) 24 hours electricity will be given. Now whatever I have said, is the guarantee of Kejriwal, these are not the promises of Captain. You will ask how many days will I take? His promises were not even completed even after 5 years. The moment the government is formed, from that very moment 300 units of electricity will be given for free. On the very first go, all the old bills will be waived off but to give electricity for 24 hours will take time. When I became the Chief Minister it took me 2.5 years to give free electricity. In 2014, the power cuts were 7-8 hours long in Delhi, today there is electricity 24/7 in Delhi. How? After becoming the Chief Minister, I went to each and every neighborhood, to get the old wires changed, got all the old wires changed, repaired the infrastructure and the lights and it is because of this that Delhi gets 24 hours electricity." 


"24 hours electricity will take around 3-4 years. So the Aam Aadmi Party Government will give free electricity in 3-4 years. I will like to congratulate all the women here, who have to run the households who will now have more money saved with which they can provide quality education to their children and better facilities to the family, which I believe would bring happiness to each and every family in Punjab," added Arvind Kejriwal.