Delhi Power Minister Atishi on Friday met a delegation of farmers and reiterated her charge that Lt Governor VK Saxena and the BJP were trying to stop free electricity to them and lawyers' chambers.
The BJP hit back at the minister, accusing her of lying, and claimed that farmers in Delhi were forced to pay power bills at commercial rates.
"No matter how many conspiracies are hatched by the LG (Lt Governor) and BJP leaders, power subsidy for farmers will not be stopped. They are conspiring to stop the power subsidy of farmers by putting pressure on power department officials," Atishi said while addressing the delegation of farmers.
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On Thursday, she had alleged that her department has been forced by the LG to prepare a proposal to stop free electricity to farmers and lawyers' chambers. "Free electricity scheme will not be stopped till Kejriwal is there," the minister had said.
Farmers are outraged by the BJP's "conspiracy" to stop their power subsidy, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader claimed on Friday.
The minister said that "a proposal to stop the power subsidy to farmers was received from power department officials yesterday". "On being questioned the officials said that there is huge pressure from the LG and BJP leaders to stop this power subsidy," Atishi claimed.
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However, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri told a press conference that Atishi is spreading a "white lie" as Delhi farmers are getting bills of thousands of rupees even after not using electricity.
Farmers of Delhi want Atishi's resignation, he claimed and added that the BJP will stage a protest outside the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence on Saturday and demand her resignation.
Bidhuri said Atishi claimed in a press conference on March 30 that farmers are being given unlimited free electricity.
At his press conference, the BJP leader showed some power bills to claim that not even a single unit of free electricity is being given to the farmers of Delhi. "One of these bills is of more than Rs 1.21 lakh and the total consumption is 4,737 units," he said.
"Farmers are being looted in the name of fixed charges because many times in a year they do not use electricity for irrigation, but electricity bills of thousands of rupees are sent to them," he claimed.
Bidhuri also alleged that the farmers in Delhi were being exploited under the Kejriwal government as they were not allowed to install tubewells, and denied minimum support price and less compensation on land acquisition.
-With PTI Input
