"Just announcement, no one received free electricity yet": Tej Pratap on Nitish Kumar's promise

Patna (Bihar) [India], July 17 : On Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's announcement of free electricity up to 125 units for households ahead of the upcoming elections, expelled Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tej Pratap Yadav on Thursday said that it is just an announcement and no one has yet received free electricity.
While speaking to ANI, Tej Pratap said, "It's just an announcement. No one has received free electricity yet. They know the election is coming, so they are making such announcements."
This comes after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced that households in the state will receive up to 125 units of free electricity starting August 1, 2025, benefiting approximately 1.67 crore families.
However, Opposition leaders like Tej Pratap Yadav raised questions over its implementation. The announcement is seen as a strategic move by Nitish Kumar to woo voters ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls.
The announcement has also drawn comparisons to a similar promise made by Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of Opposition in Bihar, who vowed to provide 200 units of free electricity if he comes to power in the state.
The state aims to generate up to 10,000 megawatts of solar energy within three years, with plans to install solar power plants on rooftops or nearby public spaces.
Under the 'Kutir Jyoti Yojana', the government will cover the entire cost of installing solar panels for extremely poor families, while others will receive suitable financial assistance. Kumar said that the government has also decided to install solar power plants on the rooftops or in nearby public places for domestic consumers within the next three years.
"We have also decided that in the next three years, with the consent of all these domestic consumers, solar power plants will be installed on their rooftops or at nearby public places to provide benefits," the Bihar CM added.
Soon after the announcement, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary hailed the state government decision to provide 125 units of free electricity and said this will benefit a total of 1 crore 67 lakh families in the state.
However, Delhi AAP President Saurabh Bharadwaj drawing parallels between Kumar's move and Arvind Kejriwal's similar initiative in Delhi, told ANI, "Today, Arvind Kejriwal has been proved right and the BJP wrong. When Arvind Kejriwal announced free electricity in Delhi, the BJP made fun of him. Today, after 10 years, the BJP is following the path of Arvind Kejriwal."