BJP promises to continue free electricity, water schemes in Delhi; AAP dismisses it as ‘electoral jumla’

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has said that it will continue the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's free electricity, water subsidies and and free bus rides for women should it come to power in the national capital in the upcoming assembly elections.

South Delhi Member of Parliament (MP) and chairman of the BJP's manifesto committee for Delhi assembly elections, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said on December 2 that the party would start the exercise of gathering public feedback for the manifesto through meetings with various sections of society.

Bidhuri said that AAP leaders including former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal were ‘misleading’ the public, spreading ‘false propaganda’ that the BJP would stop the free schemes if it formed the next government in Delhi.

"After the BJP's victory in the assembly elections due in February, free facilities such as 200 units of electricity, 20,000 litres of water and bus travel for women will continue," Bidhuri said in a statement.

Under the existing free electricity scheme, the Delhi government is providing free electricity to consumers with a monthly consumption of 200 units. Whereas, a 50 per cent subsidy is given to people with a consumption of 201-400 units of electricity. The free electricity bill scheme has benefited nearly 4.94 million households in 2022-23. The government has kept a provision of ₹3,250 crore for the 2023-24 financial year (FY) for the scheme.

These facilities will be provided in a better way and a decision will also be taken to implement the Ayushman Bharat health scheme in the first Cabinet meeting of a BJP government, he said.

Bidhuri claimed that 40 per cent of the people in Delhi did not have access to clean water and added that around 2,500 of the 7,500 samples collected by the Delhi Jal Board had failed. He further claimed that despite the Delhi government subsidy, ‘unreasonable’ surcharges on electricity rates were ₹9 per unit for domestic and ₹17-18 for commercial consumers.

Electoral Jumla, says AAP

In response to the BJP leader's claim, AAP said the BJP has habit of making tall promises before polls but, once in power, it dismissed those as "electoral jumlas".

"If the BJP is copying our schemes and claiming it will deliver the same services as AAP did, why would the people of Delhi settle for a duplicate? They will choose the original Arvind Kejriwal, who has already proven he delivers what he promises," AAP said, according to news agency PTI.

Elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly are due in February. AAP won past two elections in Delhi with a brute majority.

"The BJP previously opposed both these schemes of the AAP government and has been unable to provide free electricity and free bus travel in any of the 20 states its governs," AAP said in the statement.