BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar blames Kerala government over auto driver's death
BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Sunday blamed the state government for the death of Malappuram autorickshaw driver Shoukat. He said the 33-year-old would not have died by suicide if Chief Minister V D Satheesan had kept his election promise to change rules related to vehicle modifications.
In a Facebook post, Chandrasekhar said Shoukat's death highlighted the alleged harassment faced by ordinary people at Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) in Kerala.
He claimed Shoukat had spent around 10 months visiting different government offices to get a fitness certificate for his autorickshaw. Chandrasekhar alleged that his application was delayed because Shoukat did not want to pay bribes through agents.
"Shoukat’s suicide exposes the harassment faced by ordinary people at RTO offices in Kerala," Chandrasekhar said.
The BJP leader also alleged that RTOs had become "centres of corruption" under both the previous CPI(M)-led government and the current Congress-led UDF government.
Chandrasekhar said Satheesan had promised before the elections to amend rules that officials allegedly use to harass people over vehicle modifications. He claimed the promise had not been fulfilled.
"Like other promises, that too remained just words," Chandrasekhar said.
He also accused the UDF government of betraying young voters who had supported it.
Shoukat, a resident of Mundaparambu, Puliyakode, near Kizhisseri in Malappuram, worked as an autorickshaw driver. He allegedly died by suicide after posting on Facebook on Thursday.
In the post, he said the Motor Vehicle Department had refused to issue a fitness certificate for his autorickshaw when he approached the department without using agents.
Transport Minister C P John has sought a report on the allegations involving the Sub Regional Transport Office.
Several autorickshaw drivers' and employees' unions have also held protest marches over the issue.
Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Pinarayi Vijayan also criticised the state government following Shoukat's death. (with inputs from PTI)
