NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal came under fire for a seven-point plan including reintroducing odd-even rationing scheme, with the opposition terming the move as ‘yet another ploy’ to divert the attention of the people from other ‘pressing’ issues in Delhi.
BJP state chief Manoj Tiwari claimed the Kejriwal government had completely failed to prevent pollution during its tenure of 55 months and was taking credit of measures taken by the Centre to bring down pollution in Delhi. “Kejriwal introduced odd-even system earlier in January and April 2016 on which he spent Rs 20 crore, but it was found that there was no change in the pollution level in Delhi during the scheme in force. Perhaps, Kejriwal will do everything within five months, which he could not do during last 55 months,” Tiwari said, suggesting that the decision is just an election gimmick.
The Delhi election is due early next year.
The BJP leader said that the people are not going to be misled because Kejriwal had only betrayed them long and also created a “new record” in corruption.
Haroon Yusuf, working president of Delhi Congress, said Kejriwal thinks that like a magician who waves his magic wand to create illusions, he can remove pollution and traffic problems by bringing back the Odd-Even scheme, but they are not the answers to the pollution problem.
“Everyone knows what had happened after the last Odd-Even scheme. The main reason for air pollution is stubble burning in the fields of the neighbouring states. Kejriwal has been squandering the tax payers’ money to put out advertisements in newspapers that pollution levels have been reduced by 25 per cent, then what was the need for yet another Odd-Even scheme?.”
However, AAP leader Atishi said she was surprised by BJP’s reaction to the government’s plan.
“Some people living in Delhi feel that because the pollution has come down by 25 per cent, and that there is no need to do more to save the people from pollution. This is a negative attitude,” she said, urging Tiwari to cooperate with the Delhi government in this campaign.
AAP’s chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said whenever the government does anything for the public interest, the opposition leaders oppose. “When it appears that this work is right, then they fight to take credit for it. The pollution level in Delhi has come down. Tiwari can take credit for it.”