New Delhi: A video of Delhis cabinet minister Atishi Marlena discussing the discontinuation of the power subsidy in the national capital has gained significant traction on social media. As the only woman minister in the Delhi Cabinet, Atishi oversees 14 key portfolios, including finance, revenue, PWD, services, education, and power within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.Viral video claims power subsidy endThe video, widely shared, features Atishi stating, “From today, power subsidies for 46 lakh families in Delhi will be discontinued. This means that starting tomorrow, the electricity bills received by consumers in Delhi will no longer include the subsidy. So, those who used to receive zero bills will start receiving increased bills from tomorrow. Those who used to get a 50 per cent discount will also receive increased bills.”Shared on the micro-blogging site X (formerly Twitter) by Simple Man (Modi ka Parivar), the caption read, “Lo bhai utar gaya bukhaar. People who voted for freebies deserved this. Freebies are a sure recipe for economic disaster…”लो भाई उतर गया बुखारPeople who voted for freebies deserved this. Freebies are a sure recipe for economic disaster... pic.twitter.com/gn9uDsTvDX— Simple Man साधा माणूस (Modi ka Parivar) (@SadhaMaanus) May 23, 2024Altered video gives missing context A fact-check by NewsMeter reveals that the video has been cropped, omitting crucial context. The original, longer video was posted by news agency ANI on X on April 14, 2023, and provides a fuller picture of Atishis remarks.In the full video, Atishi explains, “Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government provides power subsidy in Delhi under which power supply is free for up to 200 units. From 200 to 400 units, 50 per cent of the electricity bill is waived. But from today, all power subsidies will be discontinued. Hence, from tomorrow, Delhi residents will not receive any subsidy on their electricity bills. So, the consumers who used to receive zero bills will start receiving increased bills starting tomorrow. Those who used to get a 50 per cent discount will also receive increased bills.”#WATCH | From today, the subsidized electricity given to the people of Delhi will be stopped. This means from tomorrow, the subsidized bills will not be given. This subsidy is stopped because AAP govt has taken the decision to continue subsidy for the coming year, but that file… pic.twitter.com/lYZ3lJ0Od7— ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2023Blame on Delhi LG VK SaxenaAtishi continues to place responsibility on Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, stating, “Why is the power subsidy getting discontinued Because the LG has been sitting on the subsidy file for the upcoming year and till the file does not come back from the LGs office, Kejriwals government cannot release the subsidy funds.”Misleading claims in viral videoThe original video posted by ANI clarifies that the clip circulating on social media is misleading, lacking the full context of Atishis statement. It is important to view such claims in their entirety to understand the true circumstances.
