"BJP's 10-year vehicle ban will force 62 lakh to buy new vehicles; profits only auto giants while tormenting Delhiites": Atishi

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday slammed the Delhi BJP government for its "Tughlaqi" order, declaring it anti-people and pro-corporate. AAP has denounced the abrupt directive to remove 60 lakh vehicles older than 10 years from Delhi's roads, describing it as a "Tughlaqi diktat" designed to benefit automobile manufacturers at the expense of ordinary citizens. According to an official release, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Delhi Assembly, Atishi, pointed out that the BJP is colluding with vehicle manufacturers to force mass vehicle replacement. She demanded that the BJP come clean and tell the people of Delhi the exact amount it has received in donations from automobile companies for elections.

"This is the real reason behind the sudden ban on old vehicles," Atishi said, as per the release. "The BJP government has imposed a 'Tughlaqi Farman' aimed solely at harassing Delhiites. Under this order, vehicles older than 10 years will be denied fuel and will be forced off the roads. This means 62 lakh vehicles will have to be removed overnight--40 lakh two-wheelers and 20 lakh four-wheelers," Atishi added.

Highlighting the disruption this move would cause to ordinary lives, Atishi said, "Most working-class people in Delhi rely on two-wheelers to commute to their offices. How are these 40 lakh motorcyclists supposed to reach work now? How will they go about their daily lives?" Sharpening her attacks further, Atishi said that the BJP's order was nothing short of a "Tughlaqi, baseless, and illogical decree."

"The age of a vehicle has nothing to do with the pollution it causes. Well-maintained vehicles, even if old, do not emit pollution. An old vehicle does not automatically mean a heavily used vehicle. Some cars run three lakh kilometres in just seven years, while others, even after 15 years, haven't clocked more than 50,000 kilometres. According to the BJP's order, a vehicle that has run three lakh kilometres can stay on the road, but one that's done only 50,000 must go. If this isn't draconian, what is?" the AAP leader said. Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia took to 'X' and wrote, "In just five months, even children in Delhi have realised that BJP leaders have no idea how to run a government. All they know is how to harass people, loot them, demolish their homes, and ruin lives. How will stopping the petrol supply to 10-year-old cars and bikes reduce pollution? All this has done is bring windfall profits to petrol pumps on Delhi's borders in UP and Haryana. These pumps now have long queues, and 90 per cent of the people in those lines are Delhi residents with 10-year-old vehicles."

Sisodia mentioned further that the people who only needed to travel 5-10 kilometres are now driving 15-20 kilometres to petrol pumps near Delhi's borders just to get fuel and drive within the city. "Tell me, isn't this increasing pollution, traffic congestion, and the suffering of the common man? That's why we say, these people can't run a government--they only know how to trouble the public," the AAP leader said. (ANI)

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