Thursday, 24 April 2025
Thursday, 24 April 2025
Residents of Jagatpur village in Burari blocked Outer Delhi Ring Road on Thursday, protesting against a prolonged power outage.
The demonstration, fuelled by mounting anger over frequent cuts, brought traffic to a standstill.
As the summer heat looms, Delhiites are bracing for the worse, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are busy pointing fingers.
AAP accuses BJP of wrecking Delhi’s power stability
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, slamming the BJP-led administration, posted on X, "We had set up the power system in Delhi with great difficulty, we had worked very hard. And we kept an eye on it daily. There was no power cut anywhere for ten years. These people have made the power situation worse in just one and a half months."
AAP leader Atishi warned that the situation could spiral further. "The condition of electricity in Delhi in March is such that people are forced to take to the streets due to power cuts. So what will happen when the peak demand increases in the scorching heat of May-June?" she posted on X.
"@ArvindKejriwal Ji's Government provided 24-hour electricity to the people of Delhi for 10 years continuously, but the 'Vipada' Government proved in just one month that providing 24-hour electricity is beyond their capacity," Atishi added.
AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh pinned the blame directly on the BJP. "Lights go off during BJP rule," he wrote.
"For 10 years, there was a @AamAadmiParty government in Delhi and the people never had to face power cuts. But now, 'BJP came and power went out,'" Singh said.
AAP leader Anurag Dhanda accused the BJP of deliberately crippling the system to favour corporate interests. "There was a 'government of work' in Delhi for 10 years, now only a 'government in name' is running," he wrote.
"Has the BJP government been sold to the power companies or do you want to spoil the system yourself and hand over everything to Adani in the name of improvement @gupta_rekha ji?" asked Dhanda.
BJP dismisses AAP’s allegations
BJP MLA Tarvinder Singh Marwah said, "He (AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal) is mistaken, there is no power cut anywhere. In my Jangpura constituency, there is absolutely no power outage. He just looks for any opportunity to make baseless statements"
Residents flood social media with complaints
The outrage on the streets was mirrored online. Furious Delhiites flooded social media with complaints.
One user posted, "@bsesdelhi It’s been over 8 hours, and half of our street still has no electricity, while the other half does. Complaint already filed, but no action yet. Please send a team ASAP to fix this issue."
Another lashed out at the privatisation of power. "This is BJP Model of Governance Power Cuts -> Tariff Hikes -> Adani Enters Delhi Power sector."
The outages, hitting the capital before summer’s peak, have left residents furious and disillusioned.
