New Delhi: Any doubts over the seriousness of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to deliver on its promises should be over now. As they move from facing allegations of promoting anarchy to delivering on promises of cheap power and free water within days of taking charge, it is clear that the party is here to stay for the long haul.
The AAP 2.0 effect was felt on Wednesday when Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced slashing of power tariff by 50 percent for households consuming less than 400 units/month and free water up to 20 kilolitres (20,000 litres) per household. These had been the major electoral planks on which the fledgling party had based its entire campaign during the 2013 and 2015 assembly elections.
Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia addresses a press conference in New Delhi. PTI
Though the BJP and the Congress had promised similar freebies, the announcement has led to criticism from them. "They have to deliver on promises made during elections. What about people who stay on rent?" questioned Satish Upadhyay, chief of Delhi BJP. "We have consistently maintained that the issue of people with no electricity metres should be dealt with immediately. How will this benefit them?" he said.
With the Congress drawing a historic blank in the elections, most leaders preferred to stay mum. "It is too early to say anything as of now," said Shobha Oza, spokesperson of the Congress. "We want to see how they implement it. What are the financial implications of it, so let’s wait,” she added. The free water scheme will come into effect from the 1st March, 2015. The AAP has also gone a step ahead by announcing that sewer charges will be waived off for those who use less than 20 kilolitres.
What is striking is the timing of the announcement by the Kejriwal’s government. There was no visible hurry to do the same and it could have easily been put into effect from the next financial year in April. But with the NDA slated to present its General Budget later this week, the AAP has timed their move to perfection. "We thought the people who were in power would take care of Delhiites, but unfortunately it didn’t happen under both Lieutenant Governor (read NDA) or even by past governments (read Congress), no one showed any interest in cutting down tariff of power and water," said Sisodia.
Political parties are likely to raise the issue of not dealing with bringing down power tariff rather than giving subsidy, but the AAP has run away with the advantage. It claims these decisions will benefit almost 90 percent of households for power and about 18 lakh others for water respectively. The new government has already put on hold the regulatory authority’s (DERC) move to hike power tariff. It has also decided that it will review the power tariff issue after CAG completes the audit of power distribution companies operating in the capital.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is busy maintaining a studied silence on controversial statements made by Hindu groups, the Rs 4 crore auction of his pinstripe suit too has grabbed attention for the wrong reasons. The pressure is now on the NDA to live up to its promises made during the 2014 election campaign. Social media is already abuzz with comparisons being drawn between Kejriwal’s delivery and Modi’s promises. One almost gets the feeling that AAP is conveying their message that they will not take the NDA head on until forced to, but will not hesitate to quietly prove its point in the days to come.
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