On Wednesday, after VK Saxena, the Delhi L-G, threatened to challenge the AAP government over its alleged termination of the power subsidy, the conflict between him and CM Arvind Kejriwal intensified. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has made claims that Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena wants to discontinue the government’s power subsidy. Saxena has denied these claims and threatened legal action if sufficient evidence is not supplied to back up the claim. On Monday, Saxena wrote to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and included various press reports that the AAP government had released that contained accusations against him.
According to news agency PTI, Saxena demanded accountability and responsibility for the false and unsupported claims made against him by Kejriwal and his associates. He asserted that allegations made in the media and elsewhere accusing him of ending the power subsidy were false, accusatory, libellous, and defamatory, and came from the power minister, the health minister, and Kejriwal himself. During the Delhi Assembly’s one-day session on Monday, the AAP lawmakers assaulted Saxena. However, the party refuted the L-G’s charges and claimed that he was inventing them.
According to Saxena, a “propaganda” was employed by Delhi Power Minister Atishi on April 14 about the Delhi government’s decision on extending the power subsidy. Atishi had said that the power subsidy given by the Aam Aadmi Party government will end on April 14 as the file for its extension has not been returned by Saxena.” Power subsidy to 46 lakh families will end today as VK Saxena’s approval of the Cabinet decision to extend the subsidy is pending, she claimed. He added that he had always been devoted to providing power subsidies for the underprivileged and had made that known in the open and in writing on various occasions.
Saxena stated that the accusations made against him were deliberate attempts to mislead the public. The BJP and Saxena are alleged to have plotted together to halt Kejriwal’s provision of a power subsidy in Delhi, according to the AAP. Any document or correspondence that could prove Saxena wanted to withdraw the electricity subsidy or was planning to do so with officers or a political party, as claimed by Kejriwal’s ministers and colleagues, must be produced, according to Saxena.
He anticipated that the information would be provided as soon as possible. Saxena forewarned that if sufficient evidence is not offered, he will presume that Kejriwal and his associates were deceiving the Delhi population and engaging in petty political games, which demand categorical censure and judicial recourse. Under the power subsidy, the AAP administration offers free electricity to household users in Delhi who use 200 units per month. A 50% subsidy, up to a maximum of Rs 850, is given to users of 201–400 units per month.