A day after BJP Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel violated odd-even scheme by driving to ITO in his odd-numbered SUV, the party’s state unit chief distanced himself from the manner of protest. “It was not the official party line; it was his way of protesting,” Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari told The Indian Express. He said the party is against odd-even as it believes public transport should have been first improved before imposing such a scheme. Sources in BJP said that the senior leadership was also divided on the method of protest. While Goel received support from the Delhi BJP in-charge and party’s national vice-president Shyam Jaju, who was in the SUV with him during the protest, some senior leaders, including a Central minister, were learnt to be unhappy. Goel, who was fined Rs 4,000 by traffic officials for violating the rule, told The Indian Express: “As a citizen, I protested against the odd-even scheme. My stand has even been vindicated by the Supreme Court.” The SC had Monday questioned the logic behind the scheme and asked if people who owned cars would just switch to other polluting modes of transport. Meanwhile, Tiwari said his party will continue to oppose odd-even. “The number of DTC buses reduced to around 3,500 from over 6,000 in 2011. AAP leaders blame stubble burning for pollution but several agencies have said that local factors are majorly responsible,” he said.
