BJP's 'anti-people', 'anti-poor' face exposed in Goel's comment on ending electricity subsidy: AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday said Delhi BJP leader Vijay Goel's comment that if voted to power his party will withdraw the electricity subsidy shows its "anti-people" and "anti-poor" face which always works to end schemes that benefit the poor.

In an interview to a newspaper, Goel had said, "The BJP will not give subsidy but create such an environment that electricity is cheaper".

"Today they have made it clear that BJP does not support the schemes launched by the Delhi government led by CM Arvind Kejriwal to give free electricity un to 200 units. The BJP is always anti-poor and anti-people. They always try to finish the benefits given to people," said senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh.

"I want to ask the BJP leaders that have they ever given any benefit in terms of education, health, electricity or water for the people in the states they are in power? But the BJP has waived Rs 5.5 lakh crore loan of industrialists in the last five years. The BJP has also allowed Rs 10.50 lakh crore as NPAs (non-performing assets) by banks to industrialists which have devastated the banks. Lastly, to manage this situation, the BJP has taken 1.76 lakh crore from the RBI," the Rajya Sabha MP told reporters.

The AAP-led government had announced free electricity up to 200 units for domestic consumers and later extended the scheme to tenants residing in the city.

Singh said Goel as a Rajya Sabha MP gets 5,000 units of electricity free per month, which makes 60,000 free units per year.

"But when the AAP government gives 200 units of free electricity to poor people the BJP opposes it," he said.

"BJP says Arvind Kejriwal is bringing these schemes to buy the votes of people. BJP says by giving security to women, by improving education & health, by giving electricity & water subsidy or by installing CCTV cameras, AAP is trying to buy votes, which shows how anti-poor and anti-people mindset BJP has," said Singh, referring to Goel's claims that Kejriwal is doing all this to buy votes of people.

AAP party spokesperson Raghav Chadha also hit out at the BJP, saying these comments should be treated as a "desperate and patently anti-poor" BJP announcements that it will fight the upcoming Delhi assembly elections on the agenda of electricity "subsidy wapsi".