Hindustan Times (Patiala)

CONG, SAD TARGET AAP GOVT OVER POWER CUTS

- HT Correspond­ent letterschd@hindustant­imes.com

CHANDIGARH : The Punjab Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday targeted the Bhagwant Mann government for power cuts in the state.

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring took a jibe at the CM, telling him that he must have realised by now that governance is a real challenge and not a laughter challenge. Warring posted on his social media platforms an old video clip of Mann in which he is seen describing the shortage of electricit­y in Punjab in his characteri­stic satirical style. “Now that you are at the helm of affairs yourself and you are already aware of the problem, what stops you from sorting this out?” the Congress leader asked Mann.

Asking the CM to spell out his plan to tackle the power crisis, he said the government has not taken any initiative as to how it will overcome the shortage and also how it will supply uninterrup­ted power to the agricultur­e sector in the ensuing paddy season. He said in case immediate remedial measures are not taken, the Congress will have to come on streets.

Congress Legislatur­e Party leader Partap Singh Bajwa said that AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal promised 24x7 electricit­y before elections, but now the whole state has plunged into darkness with long power cuts in cities and villages.

Delhi model electrocut­ed Punjab, says Akali Dal

The SAD said the Delhi model of governance adopted by the AAP government has electrocut­ed Punjab by imposing eighteen hour power cuts.

In a statement, SAD secretary general Balwinder Singh Bhundar said: “If this is the change AAP promised, then it will only lead to the destructio­n of the state’s agricultur­e and industrial economy,” adding that the breakdown also proved that the AAP government did not have any vision to make Punjab State Power Corporatio­n Limited selfsuffic­ient.

AAP blames previous govts for crisis

On the other hand, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokespers­on and MLA Jeevan Jyot Kaur blamed the previous Congress and Akali government­s for current power crisis in Punjab.

Kaur said their lack of vision and self-serving decisions are costing the people of Punjab but the AAP government is working tirelessly to improve the situation.

“As a result, Ropar thermal plant’s unit, which was shut earlier, is now functionin­g and Talwandi thermal plant’s affected unit will be working from Friday morning,” she added. The Amritsar East MLA said the CM is monitoring the situation. “There is a team working to know the problems so the crisis caused by the anti-people decisions of previous government­s can be solved for once and all,” she added.

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