BJP demonstrates against Kejriwal over power cuts

BJP workers on Thursday staged a protest at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence against power and water cuts in the city and alleged that the government has cheated people as it did not prepare any summer action plan.

Hundreds of Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers demonstrated outside Kejriwal's residence and raised slogans against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the city.

Police had to use water canons to disperse the protestors as they tried to break the police cordon.

The Delhi BJP leaders under the leadership of its city unit chief Manoj Tiwari also courted arrest demanding that Kejriwal meet them and accept responsibility for power and water supply breakdown in the national capital.

"Kejriwal government's callousness is responsible for the power and water shortage in the city today (Thursday)," Tiwari told reporters.

He also accused the government of failing the people of Delhi, as it did not prepare any action plan for distribution of power and water during the summer.

Tiwari, who also represents the Northeast Delhi constituency in the Lok Sabha, said that the AAP government also did not appoint a chairperson in the DERC (Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission).

Hitting out at the AAP government, Tiwari said: "The government has failed the citizens of Delhi by its non-performance and non-planning in the Jal Board."

"It is sad that at a time when people need the Kejriwal government to perform administratively in Delhi to solve power and water problems, we find it busy defending its corrupt deeds whose new sagas keep opening every day."

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Vijender Gupta alleged that the Kejriwal government was in connivance with private operators and allowed them to short-purchase power.

"The Chief Minister's talk of scheduled and unscheduled power cuts by itself says that he knows that there is a massive power crisis in the city which the government's negligence has allowed to precipitate," Gupta said.

--IANS

aks/nir/dg