Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday gave a "guarantee" that his party will provide free electricity up to 300 units per month to each household in Gujarat if voted to power. Addressing people at a town hall meet here, the Delhi chief minister also promised round-the-clock power supply without any cuts to people of Gujarat, where the Assembly elections are due in December this year.
"This is being done for the first time in the history of India," claimed Kejriwal, who has made free electricity a major poll plank in Gujarat.
He also assured that all pending electricity bills issued before December 31, 2021 will be waived, saying majority of them did not reflect the real power consumption and electricity companies "harassed" people to settle such matters.
"Electricity was already free in Delhi and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) made it free in Punjab within three months of forming government in that state," he said.
"As people of Gujarat also want such a relief, I hereby give a guarantee that we will provide free electricity up to 300 units to each family if voted to power after the forthcoming Assembly elections," Kejriwal told the gathering during his second visit to the state this month.
The AAP leader said what he is promising today is his guarantee and not a "jumla" (rhetoric) which other political parties mention in their manifesto ahead of polls.
"I am giving you a guarantee. If you find any fault afterwards, you are free not to vote for the AAP in subsequent elections. We will fulfil all the guarantees once we come to power," Kejriwal said.
After consumption of 300 units of power per month for free, normal rates will be applicable, he said. Hitting out at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for calling such freebies as "revadi culture", Kejriwal said it was the BJP which had promised to provide 200 units of free electricity to the people of West Bengal ahead of the Assembly polls there.
Before Kejriwal arrived in the state on Wednesday night, the BJP's Gujarat unit chief C R Paatil, without naming anyone, said people should not get misguided by the "revadi culture" of freebies as it could eventually turn the state and India into Sri Lanka, which is currently going through a severe economic crisis.