NEW DELHI, Oct 2026 : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has strongly criticised Haryana’s 36-hour power crisis because of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini’s decision to hand over electricity distribution in Gurugram and Nuh to a private company. AAP National Media In-charge Anurag Dhanda said the move would allow the company to profit from lucrative areas while the government-owned power company bore the costs of building and maintaining the network. He questioned why 11 Power Private Limited, a company with just ₹1 crore in paid-up capital and no prior experience, had been awarded the 25-year contract, and demanded that the state government immediately cancel the deal instead of hiding behind Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC).
Addressing a press conference at the party office, AAP National media in-charge Anurag Dhanda said, “Haryana has been facing a severe electricity and drinking water crisis for the past 36 hours. We are receiving calls from different parts of the state. There is hardly any part of Haryana, including Gurugram, Ambala, Rohtak, Hisar, Karnal and Kurukshetra, where electricity has not been completely disrupted.”
Anurag Dhanda further noted, “People have started saying that Nayab Singh Saini can no longer manage Haryana and is unable to run the government. If people cannot even get electricity and water, what other facilities is Nayab Singh Saini providing, and what kind of government is he running?” He stated that the people have begun asking these questions.
He highlighted that Gurugram is known as an IT city, home to IT companies from across the world and directly connected to the global economy. “Yet this international business hub has been without electricity for 36 hours. With power unavailable, water pump houses in several areas are also not functioning, disrupting water supplies and leaving people in distress,” he added.
He continued, “On Thursday night, we witnessed a sight not seen in many years: people came out onto the streets carrying candles and raising slogans, demanding that the government at least provide electricity and water. Ensuring these basic services is the government’s primary responsibility.”
Anurag Dhanda questioned why Nayab Singh Saini had allowed the electricity and water crisis to engulf the entire state. “If he cannot run the government, he should step down. There have been chief ministers before him, and there will be another after him. Haryana is not obliged to keep him in the Chief Minister’s chair. Nayab Saini has not taken Haryana hostage, with the right to deny people electricity and water while stubbornly refusing to change course,” he stated.
The AAP media in-charge further stated, “People in Haryana are being deprived of electricity and water because Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini wants to hand over Gurugram, which generates ₹10,000 crore in annual revenue, to a private company. It is being said that electricity distribution in Gurugram and Nuh will be handled by 11 Power Private Limited.”
“This is not a company like Tata or Birla, nor is it an established company with a long track record. It was incorporated on June 6, 2025. It is barely a year old, yet it has secured a contract to supply electricity in Haryana’s most premium and lucrative areas,” he asserted.
Anurag Dhanda noted that the company’s paid-up capital is just ₹1 crore, and it was set up with an investment of only ₹1 crore, yet it claims it will invest ₹4,700 crore in building the network. “Nayab Singh Saini will arrange loans for it from government-owned companies. The earlier matter involving the withdrawal of ₹400–500 crore from government accounts has not yet been resolved. Why, then, should Nayab Singh Saini arrange ₹4,700 crore for a company with a capital of just ₹1 crore? This company has no prior experience. It is not as though it has already been supplying electricity across 10 or 12 states,” he stated.
Anurag Dhanda further said, “Nayab Singh Saini repeatedly claims that no recommendation slips are used to secure favours under his government. So, did the recommendation promising ₹10,000 crore in annual profits come from the Chief Minister’s Office or from the office of the ‘Super CM’, who is now the Union Power Minister?”
“No government would permit a company with a capital of just ₹1 crore to invest ₹4,700 crore in a deal expected to generate ₹10,000 crore in annual revenue without such a recommendation. Nayab Singh Saini must tell the people of Haryana what Gujarat’s connection is to this entire deal. The people of Haryana cannot be pushed into an electricity and water crisis because of some Gujarat connection,” he said.
The senior AAP leader continued, “Nayab Singh Saini’s hometown is Kurukshetra. He could have started this experiment there, or in Rohtak, Hisar or Sirsa. Why did he choose Gurugram? Because Gurugram is the highest-revenue area, with accounts held by premium companies, and generates annual profits of ₹10,000 crore for the power department. The lucrative business was to be handed to this private company, which is why the contract for Gurugram and Nuh was awarded directly to it.”
He stated that the remarkable thing is that the government-owned company will continue to bear the entire cost of developing the network and supplying electricity in rural areas of Gurugram and Nuh. “Meanwhile, the private company will earn profits from premium localities and accounts held by large companies, while all the liabilities will remain with the government-owned company. Nayab Singh Saini may have devised what he thinks is a very clever plan, but neither electricity department employees nor the people of Haryana will allow it to succeed,” he said.
Anurag Dhanda demanded answers from Nayab Singh Saini to three questions. “First, why was this company awarded a deal with such a long tenure of 25 years? What is so special about it? Second, did the recommendation promising ₹10,000 crore in annual revenue come from the Chief Minister’s Office or the ‘Super CM’s’ office?,” he asked.
Thirdly, he questioned, how does the government have the authority to cancel this deal today if it chooses to. “It must stop hiding behind HERC. What compels the government to keep the deal in place when people across Haryana have been struggling in darkness and without water for 36 hours?,” he questioned.
Anurag Dhanda further said, “If Nayab Singh Saini does not know how to run a government, he should learn from Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The Punjab government has saved money for its power department by purchasing and operating a private power plant and is supplying electricity to people. In Haryana, however, a government department is effectively being handed over to a private company, giving it an opportunity to earn ₹10,000 crore annually. If there is pressure from above or if a recommendation has come from Gujarat, he should tell us. We will join him in fighting against it. If he lacks experience, he should make time to meet Bhagwant Mann, who can explain how to ensure that people benefit.”
He then asserted that Nayab Singh Saini must immediately withdraw this tender and cancel the deal, and added, “Electricity employees have also been demanding a risk allowance of ₹5,000 for a long time because climbing electricity poles is dangerous and workers sometimes lose their lives. Yet the government is offering them just ₹500, while a private company with no experience is being handed the opportunity to earn ₹10,000 crore.”
Anurag Dhanda said the AAP demands that if Nayab Singh Saini has any sense of responsibility left, he should grant electricity employees the ₹5,000 risk allowance and immediately withdraw the entire deal. “Do not plunge Haryana into darkness or sell it off to private companies. If this deal has any connection to Gujarat or has been imposed under pressure, speak openly in Haryana’s interest. We will stand with him and give him the courage to fight back,” he concluded.
