Massive Protests in Sriniwaspuri Over Power Cuts; Atishi Blames BJP Leadership

Delhiites, troubled by relentless power cuts over the past 1.5 months, are beginning to lose patience. This growing anger spilled onto the streets on Saturday in Sriniwaspuri, where residents staged a loud demonstration against BJP Minister Pravesh Verma. Enraged over the long outages, people raised slogans demanding answers from the BJP government.

Delhi Police, deployed in huge numbers, forcibly tried to stop the residents from approaching the minister. However, their chants of protest continued until the minister left the area. The situation highlighted the growing public frustration with the BJP’s handling of basic services in the city.

On this, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal shared a video of the protest on X, expressing serious concern over the crisis. “In just two months, look at what they’ve done to Delhi,” he wrote, pointing to the deteriorating state of governance under BJP’s watch.

Meanwhile, senior AAP leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Delhi Assembly, Atishi, shared a video on X of people protesting on the streets in Delhi’s Sriniwaspuri against Water Minister Parvesh Verma. She said, “The public, troubled by the continuous power cuts in Delhi, has now taken to the streets. There is a ‘halla bol’ (uproar) against the Chief Minister and ministers. The BJP’s lies and ‘jumle’ stand exposed before the people, and now the public will hold the BJP accountable for every single lie. People in Delhi are so troubled by power cuts that they start cursing BJP leaders on sight. That is why BJP ministers cannot step out of their offices without hundreds of policemen.”

In another tweet, Atishi said, “For the last one and a half months, dirty water has been coming in Sriniwaspuri. Today, when Water Minister Pravesh Verma came to the area, the police pushed away the people. Why are BJP government ministers so afraid to meet common people?”

Earlier, Atishi had posted on X, saying, “On Friday night, there were long power cuts in many areas of Delhi. Electricity was gone for hours. Delhiites are saying they haven’t seen such power cuts in years. Everyone is recalling that during Arvind Kejriwal’s time, electricity never went out. They now feel that voting for BJP was a mistake.”

Atishi retweeted a complaint made by electricity consumer Shubham Pandey and said, “Andher nagari, chaupat raja. This is how a Delhi resident, troubled by a 5-hour power cut, has described the BJP government. But BJP’s Power Minister Ashish Sood has no concern for Delhiites. Now people in Delhi are saying that ‘completely incompetent’ people are managing the city’s power supply. Delhiites strongly object to the BJP government’s false claim that long power cuts are happening for maintenance. When power goes out, the people of Delhi are asking — are goons running Delhi?”

Meanwhile, AAP leader Adil Ahmed Khan said on X, stating, “Within just two months, Delhiites have lost faith in the BJP government. Troubled by the long power cuts, women in Sriniwaspuri fiercely protested against Minister Pravesh Verma on Saturday. Seeing the public’s anger, Pravesh Verma fled the spot.”

AAP spokesperson Vandana Sinha posted on X, “This is the BJP government. Today in Sriniwaspuri, when the local people approached Water Minister Pravesh Verma with complaints about power cuts and dirty water, they were welcomed with police lathis. Why do BJP ministers not want to meet the public? Why don’t they want to answer people’s questions? Are they afraid of the people’s questions? Or is it that the BJP does not know how to run a government in Delhi?”

Delhi State Vice President of AAP’s OBC Wing, Omkar Yadav, posted on X, stating, “Look at the dictatorship of Delhi Police. On Saturday, PWD Minister Pravesh Verma was supposed to come to our colony in Sriniwaspuri. But when people tried to tell him about the dirty water coming into their homes, Delhi Police instead arrested the local residents.”
AAP’s Delhi State Organisation Secretary, Pardeep Lohan, posted on X, “The public, troubled by the continuous power cuts in Delhi, has now taken to the streets. A ‘halla bol’ is rising against the Chief Minister and his ministers. The BJP’s lies and fake promises stand exposed before the people, and now the public will hold the BJP accountable for every single lie.”

Delhiites raising power cut complaints on social media

Social media is flooded with complaints about power cuts. People from across Delhi are tagging the electricity companies, Delhi Government, the Chief Minister, and the BJP, reporting that their areas are facing daily power cuts. Delhiites are also tagging Aam Aadmi Party leaders.

On Friday, there were long power cuts in several areas of Delhi including Budh Vihar, Sant Nagar in Burari, Sangam Vihar, Palam Village, Prince Colony in Badarpur, Indra Park in Uttam Nagar, Hargovind Enclave in Chhatarpur, Mahavir Enclave Part 2, Nihal Vihar in Nangloi, East Delhi, Old Rajendra Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, and many more.

People troubled by dirty water could not meet the Water Minister

Under BJP’s rule, the people of Delhi are not just troubled by power cuts, but also by the supply of dirty water. On Saturday, Water Minister Pravesh Verma visited Sriniwaspuri, where residents are deeply troubled by contaminated water. When people heard of the minister’s visit, they tried to meet him. However, the police did not allow them and instead pushed them away. A large number of women had also gathered, carrying bottles filled with the dirty water supplied by the Delhi Jal Board.

The women said that since the BJP government came to power in Delhi, they have been receiving dirty water for the past one and a half months. They wanted to meet the Water Minister who was visiting their area, but were not allowed to. The police stopped them from meeting him. Women asked, “How are we supposed to drink such filthy water? Drinking this can make our children sick.”