Kejri twisting all facts on water, power tariff: BJP

The BJP on Sunday slammed AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal of trying to mislead leaders by presenting wrong facts on water tariff and politicising issues of crime against women in the city.

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters at the Delhi unit office that Kejriwal once again held a press conference and tried to circulate distorted facts about water tariff and crime rate in the city.

She said, “He is all the time seeking a debate but it is he who has to give explanations on so many issues. When you are speaking untruth why are you seeking a debate? You are yourself running away from giving a reply.”

The BJP leader also posed five questions to him, such as why the party lied on power and water bills, why Kejriwal lied in public about his designation in the income tax department, why he lied that Delhi Police chief was out of town when the AAP leader was on a stage in January 2014 and how many times has Kejriwal visited Varanasi constituency from where he fought the Lok Sabha polls.

Sitharaman said Kejriwal talks a lot on commitment. “First, he ran away from Delhi responsibilities. Went to Varanasi and committed to the people whether I win or lose, I would regularly come to Varanasi. Can Kejriwal tell us how many times has he gone to Varanasi after the May 2014 elections?” she said.

When Kejriwal, as the chief minister of Delhi, was on a sit-in and created anarchy-like situation, taking an alibi that the Police Commissioner was not in Delhi, so he could not contact him, Sitharaman said.

“The truth is that the Police Commissioner was very much in Delhi but Kejriwal never contacted him, and this fact was widely reported in the media during the sit-in days. That sit-in was a serious law and order situation created by any sitting chief minister in the country,” she said.

She asked why an AAP candidate from west Delhi facing charges of sexual harassment was not withdrawn from the list of official candidates.

She accused Kejriwal of indulging in doublespeak and demanded form him a reply on why the AAP was worried about women safety and security issues when the candidate from Hari Nagar was given a ticket despite his facing a sexual harassment case.

The BJP leader accused Kejriwal of presenting distorted facts in political ads, which compared water tariff during his tenure in January 2014 and during BJP-led central government’s tenure in January 2015.

“He is claiming that there was a tariff which he waived off on a trial basis for those using 666 kilolitre water in 2014, and the rate of water per kilolitre now is Rs 13. He is comparing domestic consumption rates with commercial consumption rates of Rs 13 per kilolitre,” she said.

The BJP has been posing five questions to Kejriwal everyday. The process is likely to continue till February 5, till the end of campaigning for the February 7 polls.

Union Minister Ananth Kumar earlier claimed that the short-lived AAP government had subsidised private distribution companies, and had asked why relief was not directly passed on to consumers and an audit of the discoms was not conducted.