NEW DELHI: The deliberate acts of defiance against the odd-even scheme, the vehicle rationing scheme being implemented by the Delhi government to mitigate air pollution in the national capital, by two senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders has not gone down well with the rank and file of the party.
Senior leaders of the saffron outfit have questioned the move by Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel and vice president Shyam Jaju to go on a ‘protest drive’ on Monday in an SUV with a registration number ending in an odd digit even though only cars with a registration number ending in an even digit were allowed that day.
Goel was later fined Rs 4,000 for flouting the rule.
Criticising the move of the senior leadership, a media panellist expressed anguish in the Delhi BJP’s WhatsApp group and sought a clarification on the issue.
The panellist, who is often referred to as a spokesperson of the Delhi BJP, said that intentional disobedience of rules had boomeranged. “It is getting really difficult to defend what Vijay Goel ji and Shyam Jaju ji did today, please tell us if that’s the party line? Because this has completely backfire us I believe. If that’s the party line please tell us how to defend (sic)”, the message read.
Agreeing with the media panellist’s stand, a Member of Parliament said Goel and Jaju should have gone with the public opinion and sentiments.
“The leaders should respect the opinion of the masses. If people are supporting the idea of odd-even, the leaders should also extend their support, because being in public life we must not go against public sentiments. It may send a wrong message that we are not serious about pollution,” said the parliamentarian.
However, he suggested that if a party functionary or leader needed any clarification or had a grievance, they should take up the matter on the appropriate platform within the party.
“The media panellist shouldn’t have written in an open WhatsApp group and criticised the senior leaders. It should have been discussed in private. Defiance by senior leaders was a symbolic protest,” said another leader.