Barring the Aam Admi Party, Parliamentarians across the political spectrum closed ranks on Monday to slam Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s odd-even scheme and sought exemption even as around 10 MPs flouted the rules with BJP MP Paresh Rawal being fined.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the lok Sabha, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav said Kejriwal had introduced the scheme to gain “cheap popularity”.
Citing an IIT-Kanpur study, Yadav said the pollution from cars was a mere five per cent and the Delhi Government had failed to address other issues which contribute to the remaining 95 per cent of pollution.
While this was strongly contested by AAP member Bhagwant Mann, some BJP members were seen supporting Ranjan’s plea.
In the Rajya Sabha, Naresh Agrawal from (SP) made a strong pitch for exempting MPs a view that found reasonance among most of parties as well as Deputy Chairman of the House P J Kurien.
Slamming the Delhi Government move, Agrawal alleged it has done so to “insult” the MPs and wondered why the Centre was “silent” on the issue.
Agrawal ridiculed the Delhi Government over the scheme saying days were not far when rules will be framed to prescribe “A and B will walk on the road on a particular day and C and D some other day. Only women will use the road one day and the next day only men.”
Echoing similar sentiments, Congress MP Rajiv Shukla said MPs should be “exempted” from the scheme.
leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and Congress Deputy leader Anand Sharma backed the views saying the scheme was coming in the way of discharging their duties.
Kurien also supported the sentiments noting that the Government’s duty was to help MPs discharge their duty in Parliament and asked why Parliamentary Affairs Minister did not take up the matter with the Delhi Government.
JD(U)’s K C Tyagi, while supporting the demand for exemption of MPs’ vehicles, said criticising the scheme of the Delhi Government on this pretext was not correct as it had indeed brought down pollution and has been commended even by some foreign countries.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said in a lighter vein that the Opposition should first allow working in Parliament, at which Kurien quipped “even if they have to disrupt, they will have to come here”.
Taking the sentiments of members into account, Kurien said he thinks this matter needed to be taken up and asked Naqvi to take it up immediately.
At an all-party convened ahead of the session, some MPs had on Sunday sought relief from the Speaker saying some members were facing inconvenience due to it.
BJP MP Paresh Rawal who was fined for violating the odd-even scheme later apologised saying, “I made a serious blunder... Sorry to Arvind ji and Delhiites.”