The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today demanded that the central government should reduce the electricity and water tariffs in the interim budget of the National Capital Territory (NCT).
‘The AAP appeals to the central government to honour the sentiments of the overwhelming majority in the Delhi assembly while presenting the state?s budget in Parliament, and it should reduce the electricity tariffs by 50 per cent and provide 700 litres of water free for every household.
‘Since the BJP?s central government has continued with the previous Congress-led UPA government?s decision of keeping the state assembly in suspended animation, and this situation has been continuing for five months now, therefore the view of nearly 90 per cent of the MLAs cannot be ignored,’ the party said in a statement.
It added that in the assembly elections held in December, 60 of the 70 MLAs (32 BJP and 28 AAP) were elected on the promise of reducing the electricity tariffs in the city. Slamming the UPA government for withdrawing subsidies given by AAP government while it was in power, the party said that the BJP too allowed the budget to be passed.
‘The UPA government withdrew the subsidy on electricity and water that was provided by the AAP government, and even the BJP quietly allowed the interim budget to be passed without raising the demand for the restoration of the relief that was given to the people.