Punjab unit chief of Aam Aadmi Party and Sangrur Member of Parliament (MP) Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday, in a letter to Punjab chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh, has demanded that it should fulfill the promises it made to the people of Punjab ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections. In his letter, Mann sought to remind Captain Amarinder Singh that the government under his leadership had failed to measure up to the aspirations of the people even after two years of assuming powers. Some of the public-centric issues, including checking inflation in the first place, could have been solved were you alive to the problem on the ground, the latter further said.In the letter, Mann lamented that today every consumer in the state was paying electricity rate more than what consumers in other states of the country were paying. What to speak of taking a call on the reduction of the existing rate, the rates were hiked four times during the government’s two-year term, which you could have at least been kept under check. Mann pointed out that the state was mulling over jacking up the rate further.The letter further said that the erstwhile state government led by Parkash Singh Badal, did not do any precious little in the matter as it was conniving with private company honchos spinning crores. He further said the people had high expectations from Captain Amarinder but he too seemed to have being following into their footsteps, which raised valid questions of impropriety.
The letter said Captain government could have proved its credential by scrapping the MoUs signed between the private companies and then SAD-BJP government in the saddle. Instead of doing something to unearth the big scam worth crores of rupees involving Sukhbir Singh Badal and the private companies, Captain chose to remain mum, the letter further said.Mann expressed surprise, in the letter, stating that despite the fact that the government of Punjab had ample resources and infrastructure for power generation, the electricity rate was much higher when compared to other states of the country, which was pegged at rupees 10 per unit.On the other hand, the letter said, the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi, which had not enough resources of its own, had been providing electricity to the people at Re 1 per unit. It may be mentioned that the Delhi government had been procuring power from private companies, said the letter.He said, being Member of Parliament and his other colleagues, including the leaders of opposition in the Punjab Assembly, ‘dalits’ the poor, and rehri-phadi wallas keep dropping in with fatty electricity bills amounting to between seven thousands/eight thousands. They even rue that in case of non-payment of their bill, their connection were cut by the department employees, which, at times, ended up in avoidable violence.” Mann said in the letter.Mann said that he, on behalf of the thousands of harried people of the state, urge upon the government to take an urgent call on the issue and initiate measures in this regard so that they could be rid of the scare of high rate of electricity looming large, failing which AAP would be left with no choice but to take the issue to the streets.