Chandigarh, August 23
The Termination of the power purchase agreements with 3 Independent Power Producers (IPPs) Bill 2021 of the Private Member Bill being introduced in the Assembly by the Aam Aadmi Party as an Opposition to protect the exchequer and people of Punjab from the plunder of private power companies should be unanimously passed by the ruling Congress and MLAs of all parties, to repeal the deadly power pacts. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab MLA and Youth Wing state president Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said the AAP was fulfilling its responsibility of the Opposition diligently and it would be seen which MLAs of the ruling Congress and other parties would stand in favor of Punjab and the people.
In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Monday, MLA Meet Hayer said, “The forthcoming session of the Punjab Assembly is also the last chance for the ruling Congress party to take decisions in the interest of Punjab and all its power consumers. If the Congress misses this time too, it will prove that the Congressmen are more concerned about the ‘brokerage’ they get from private power companies like the Badals. Therefore, the next session will be a litmus test for the ruling Congress and its newly-appointed president and MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu as the AAP has introduced the Private Members’ Bill in the Assembly for the fifth time at the behest of the people.”
Hayer said the Aam Aadmi Party has been demanding cancellation of the power purchase agreements with private companies from the very beginning and as an opposition party, for the interest of the public; the AAP through its MLA Aman Arora, has so far in four Assembly sessions has introduced the Termination of Power Purchase Agreement with 3 IPPs Bill 2021, but the Congress government has been running away from discussing the bill in the Assembly, which proves that the government is only making statements to provide cheap electricity to the people of Punjab; and not the real work. He said the only solution to the power crisis in Punjab was cancellation of power agreements with private power companies.
Reminding the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Punjab Pradesh Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu of the promises made to the people of Punjab, Meet Hayer said it was now the responsibility of these two leaders to save the people of Punjab from being looted by the private power companies. He alleged that Captain Amarinder Singh had reneged on his promise to present a ‘white paper’ in the Punjab Assembly on power deals and Navjot Singh Sidhu had been avoiding taking a clear stand against power deals in every assembly session; but this time, those who take a double stand on the issue will have to answer in the people’s court.
Hayer said the AAP has fulfilled its responsibility and now it is the responsibility of the Captain government and the Congress party to introduce this bill in the session without any hindrance as per the election promise of 2017 and discuss it. He demanded that the deadly power agreements made by the Badals should be canceled unanimously and looting of people of Punjab should be stopped.
