BJP orchestrated fuel ban on old vehicles to favour automobile tycoons: AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj

New Delhi [India], July 9 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Delhi President Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Delhi government, claiming its role in "orchestrating" the fuel ban on old vehicles to favour automobile tycoons.
"What began as a policy stunt has ballooned into a full-blown crisis, dragging multiple neighbouring cities into chaos and placing two crore vehicle owners under siege. Saurabh Bharadwaj denounced the farce as a reckless betrayal, crafted in collusion, defended with lies, and destined to collapse under the weight of its own hypocrisy," Bharadwaj said in a press statement.
While addressing a press conference, Bharadwaj accused the BJP government in Delhi of "relentlessly lying" to the people.
"To cover one lie, they are now forced to tell a hundred more. They're now caught in this web of deception, every lie they tell demands a hundred new ones to keep it hidden. On March 1, their government had barely completed a week when BJP Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa publicly announced that from March 31 onwards, old vehicles would no longer be provided with petrol. But by March 31, they weren't ready. So they pushed the deadline to June 30 and said that post-June 30, petrol and diesel would no longer be supplied to old vehicles. They made loud public declarations," he added.
Highlighting the public backlash against the Delhi government, Bharadwaj said that the BJP's supporters criticised them over this decision, along with others.
"Soon, people of Delhi began cursing them, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. Even their own supporters slammed them. When we held a press conference on the issue, the BJP government responded with more lies, claiming this was all due to High Court, Supreme Court, NGT, and Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) orders," the AAP leader said.
Calling out inconsistencies in the timeline and justification, Bharadwaj revealed that the CAQM's letter is dated April 23, whereas Manjinder Singh Sirsa had made his announcement on March 1.
"The BJP government got tangled in its own cover-up. They wrote one thing to CAQM, and told the people of Delhi something completely different. They consider themselves very clever and think the people are fools," the AAP leader said.
Calling out the BJP-led government for misleading citizens, the AAP Delhi President continued, "They told Delhiites that the decision was wrong, 'Just because a car is old doesn't mean it causes pollution. Even new cars can pollute. Well-maintained old vehicles don't necessarily cause pollution.' Meanwhile, the LG was writing a different letter, saying people have an emotional connection with their old vehicles. All these conflicting letters were just tactics to fool the people."
Explaining the contradiction, he said, "Listen to what they wrote to CAQM: 'We fully agree with your decision. These are good steps. Our government stands with you.' This was written by a Delhi government minister in a formal letter to CAQM, stating that the proposed measures were commendable and that the Delhi government fully supports them."
"But then they cite technical difficulties, issues with camera systems and the fact that neighbouring cities like Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurugram, and Sonipat are not implementing the same policy, so they suggested synchronising implementation across all regions," Bharadwaj added.
The former Delhi Minister warned of legal consequences, highlighting the changed stance of the state government before the Supreme Court.
"Whatever public statements you're making in the media aren't your formal legal position. Your official position is what you wrote to CAQM, personally signed by Manjinder Singh Sirsa on behalf of the government. You said their initiative is excellent, that pollution will be reduced, and all cities should act together. Now, how will you change your stand in the Supreme Court?" he asserted. (ANI)