Sukhbir Badal slams AAP Govt over power crisis, promises round-the-clock supply if SAD returns to power
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, June 27, 2026: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of failing to ensure adequate power supply to farmers, industry and the general public, alleging that prolonged outages were threatening Punjab’s agricultural economy.
In a statement, Badal claimed the government had neither added new power generation capacity nor maintained the existing power infrastructure. He alleged that six of the state’s ten thermal power plant units were currently non-functional due to technical issues, while several power grids were also out of service, resulting in widespread power cuts.
The SAD chief said farmers were facing severe hardship as paddy seedlings were drying up due to inadequate electricity for tubewells. He also alleged that damaged transformers were not being replaced promptly and that canal water was not reaching tail-end villages because of poor planning.
Targeting Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Badal alleged that the Chief Minister was preoccupied with organising public events instead of addressing the state’s power crisis.
Claiming that the previous SAD government had made Punjab a power-surplus state, Badal said subsequent governments had failed to keep pace with rising electricity demand.
He asserted that if voted back to power, the Shiromani Akali Dal would prioritise strengthening the state’s power sector and ensure 24-hour uninterrupted electricity supply to rural and urban areas, along with 12 hours of daytime power for agricultural tubewell connections.
The Punjab government has not yet responded to Badal’s allegations.