Delhi minister warns of criminal action over 'misinformation' amid AAP’s power outage allegations

Delhi Power Minister Ashish Sood on Tuesday warned of strict legal action against those allegedly spreading misinformation about power outages in the city.

His remarks came amid a political tussle between the ruling BJP and the opposition AAP over claims of disruptions in electricity supply.

"We will take strict action against such fake accounts and the people who support these accounts. We will take criminal action, not civil, against the culprits," Sood said in the Delhi Assembly while responding to a Calling Attention Motion on the issue.

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Dismissing claims of a power crisis, Sood asserted that the outages were part of routine maintenance to ensure the reliability of power grids ahead of summer. "We are a 40-day-old government, yet they claim we have disrupted a system that was perfect for the past 10 years. There is no electricity crisis," he said, adding that the power cuts are due to the maintenance of equipment, a process that happens every year.

He further accused AAP, including Leader of Opposition Atishi, of spreading "false narratives" on social media using fake accounts and bots. "The opposition is trying to create disorder in the city through misinformation," he added.

Sood presented data on power outages in Delhi, claiming that since the BJP government took charge, there has been fewer outages at Atishi’s residence compared to other areas. "Over the past 10 years, there were 2,72,137 power cuts in Delhi lasting over an hour, averaging 75 times per day. No one can refute this data," he said.

Earlier in the day, AAP MLAs Kuldeep Kumar and Sanjeev Jha submitted notices to the Delhi Assembly secretary, requesting a discussion on the power cuts affecting several areas in the city.

Kumar called for an adjournment motion under Rule 59 to discuss the issue in the Assembly. "These outages have caused severe inconvenience to residents, disrupted businesses, and hampered essential services. The situation demands immediate attention and a thorough response from the government," Kumar alleged.

However, MLA Kumar was absent during the minister's response as all AAP MLAs had staged a walkout.

Speaker Vijender Gupta condemned the AAP MLA and warned Kumar about his future conduct, while some BJP MLAs demanded action against him.

AAP leaders, including former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, have blamed the BJP for the alleged "crisis".

"For 10 years, we ensured uninterrupted power. In just over a month, they have ruined the system," Kejriwal posted on X on Friday.

LoP Atishi on Monday also blamed the BJP-led administration for the outages, alleging "mismanagement.

"How is it that in 10 years, there were no outages, but within a month of the BJP rule, power cuts are back? This means only one thing: the BJP doesn't know how to run the government. They neither have the intention nor the capability to serve the people of Delhi," Atishi said.

Atishi also posted a photo on X, saying, "Till now, I was sharing others' tweets about power cuts. But now the electricity has gone off in my own house."

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The first Budget Session of Delhi's eighth Legislative Assembly is currently underway. The BJP won 48 out of 70 seats in the February elections, ending AAP's decade-long rule and marking its return to power in the national capital after 27 years.