New Delhi [India], June 22 : AAP leader Atishi decried the central government's appointment of the Chairperson of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) as "illegal" and "unconstitutional".
While addressing a press conference, she said, "Last night at 10 pm, the BJP-ruled central government launched another attack on the elected government. In the dark night, a gazette was issued and the chairman of DERC was appointed. Any appointment against the recommendation of the government and the powers of the LG, will be settled in the Supreme Court. The court has repeatedly said that apart from law and order and police, the Center and the LG will have to accept the elected government's decisions on all other issues. But the central government considers itself beyond the constitution and the law."
The Education Minister accused the BJP of ignoring the elected government's proposal. "Yesterday morning, on June 21, the elected government sent the proposal of Justice Sangeet Lodha's name to the LG for the post of DERC chairman but bypassing this, Justice Umesh Kumar was illegally appointed as DERC chairman by the BJP centre," she said.
She said that this decision was taken to harass the elected government. "Since the people of Delhi did not vote for the BJP, they want Delhi to become like Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram where electricity keeps going off," she said.
Commending the Delhi government, Atishi said that the Kejriwal government provided the cheapest electricity in the country and even without subsidy, the power tariff in Delhi was the lowest in the country.
"Before Arvind Kejriwal became the Chief Minister, electricity rates were very high in Delhi but since he became the CM, the rates of electricity did not increase. Today 41 lakh families of Delhi get free electricity," she added.
She alleged that BJP was making such an illegal appointment because it wanted to stop free electricity and this gazette had been brought to ruin the electricity sector. "I assure the people of Delhi that we will fight against this illegal appointment in the same way as we have got the work done for eight years. We will appeal against this illegal appointment in the Supreme Court in the coming days," the Education Minister said.
Earlier, The President of India, in the exercise of the powers conferred by Section 45(b) of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, read with sub-section 2 of Section 84 of the Electricity Act, 2003 appointed Justice (Retd.) Umesh Kumar of Allahabad High Court as the Chairperson of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC).
This appointment comes subsequent to Justice (Retd.) Rajeev Kumar Shrivastava (Madhya Pradesh High Court), who had been proposed for appointment as DERC Chairperson, by the GNCTD, expressed his inability to be appointed as Chairperson, DERC through a communication to the Lt. Governor dated 15.06.2023, citing "family commitments and requirements."
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