Senior BJP leader Sanjay Tandon on Monday said Chandigarh Congress MP Manish Tewari had “no moral right” to demand free electricity after his party’s Himachal Pradesh Government “discontinued” the benefit given to the poor there.
Meanwhile, Chandigarh Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) president Vijay Pal Singh demanded that the Centre and the Chandigarh Administration implement the proposal of free water benefit passed during the tenure of its Mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor.
The comments come a day after the Chandigarh MP wrote to Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, seeking 300 units of free power and 20,000 litres of free water every month to households earning below Rs 20,000 per month.
“You can’t mislead the poor of the city with hollow promises on power and water,” said Tandon in a statement.
Tandon said the Congress leader had “no moral right” to speak about free electricity and water after his party’s government in Himachal went back on its promises.
Tandon, who is the co-in-charge of the BJP for Himachal Pradesh, said when his party was in power in Himachal Pradesh, people there were getting 125 units of free electricity. “In the election, the Congress promised to give 300 units of free power but after coming to power, the Congress discontinued giving even 125 units free power to the needy,” he said.
Meanwhile, AAP’s Chandigarh president Vijay Pal Singh demanded that the Centre and the UT Administration immediately approve the “democratically passed proposal of providing 20,000 litres of free water” to the poor.
He said the agenda was passed during the first general house meeting convened after AAP’s Mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor assumed office on March 11, 2024.
“The Delhi and Punjab models have been successfully implemented for years, benefiting lakhs of families. When such relief models can be adopted in different states, then why should people of Chandigarh be deprived of the same benefit,” he said.
