The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday dubbed Punjab government's decision to reduce power tariff as "a poll stunt", alleging that the move is aimed at "buying" votes in the run up to the assembly elections early next year.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, co-convenor of the AAP's political affairs in Punjab, Raghav Chadha, also cautioned people of the state against falling in the trap of the Congress government under Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
He alleged that the Punjab government has slashed the power tariff just a few months ahead of the polls only to "cover up" its failures on various fronts in the past four and half years of its term and secure votes by "misleading and fooling" them.
The AAP leader also mocked the Punjab chief minister over the slashing of power tariff, saying the decision was taken as Mr Channi was "scared of" Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's promise of providing free and uninterrupted electricity to the people of Punjab.
This came soon after the Punjab Cabinet decided to slash power tariff by Rs 3 per unit for domestic consumers. Announcing the decision, the chief minister said it was "a big Diwali gift" to the people of the state.
"It's a chunavi stunt (poll stunt) and a jumla (rhetoric) by Channi Sahab ahead of assembly elections in February-March next year. Decision to slash the power tariff has been taken with intent to fool people and secure their votes,” Mr Chadha charged.
He said the Punjab chief minister's "poll stunt" will be over by the end of the current fiscal as the revised power tariff will remain effective only till March 31, 2022.
"I want to caution people of Punjab that they should not fall in the trap of the 'chunavi stunt' and 'chunavi jumla' of Channi sahab. He is doing it because he wants to buy your votes,” Mr Chadha said.
The AAP leader said the Congress government has slashed the power tariff "to lure voters" in the run up to the assembly polls as "Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was scared of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's promise of providing free and uninterrupted electricity to people (if voted to power)."
"It's only Kejriwal who can provide 24X7 free electricity to people," he added.
Training guns at the Congress, Mr Chadha said power tariff was the "highest" in Punjab but no relief was given to the people of the state by the government until so far.
Questioning the motive of the Punjab government behind the decision at this point in time, he also asked why power tariff has not been reduced simultaneously in other Congress-ruled states.
"If it was there in the Congress vision to provide electricity to people at a cheaper rate, it would have done so in all the states ruled by it where elections are not due next year," he said.
Mr Chadha alleged that the Congress government has been misleading people in Punjab with its "lies and false promises" for the past four and a half years.
The people of Punjab are now ready to give their mandate to the AAP in the upcoming assembly elections, he asserted.
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