Activists led by Kejriwal protest power tariff hike

For the first time after the split from Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday led around 300 activists in a protest against hike in power tariffs, alleging that the Delhi government and private discoms were out to loot people.

The activists gathered at Jantar Mantar on Sunday afternoon and shouted slogans against Congress-led Delhi government and private discoms.

Besides Kejriwal, other prominent activists who attended the protest were Prashant Bhushan, Manish Sisodia, Kumar Vishwas and Sanjay Singh.

Hazare and his supporters, including Kiran Bedi, parted ways with the Kejriwal-led group on September 19 over the anti-graft movement taking a plunge into politics.

The protest, which is seen as a prelude to its entry into politics formally, demonstrated keenness of the Kejriwal-led group to fight Delhi assembly elections slated next year as it targeted the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government in the capital.

However, Sunday's protest did not evoke much response though India Against Corruption earlier used to attract hundreds of people.

Kejriwal-led group, which has decided to form the party, had earlier indicated that it will not fight the assembly elections in BJP-ruled Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh scheduled later this year, as it could not get its act together by then.

At today's protest, people set afire electricity bills, alleging there was collusion between government and discoms in the national capital to increase tariffs and help private companies earn more.

Kejriwal alleged that the hike in tariff came in July, despite DERC, during the tenure of its Chairman Bijender Singh, recommending that there should be a reduction in prices.