BJP MP Vijay Goel violates odd-even rule in protest, issued Rs 4000 challan

Senior BJP leader Vijay Goel on Monday violated the odd-even rationing scheme by driving an SUV with an odd last digit in its registration number and termed the initiative "an election stunt" by the Kejriwal government.

He termed it a "symbolic protest" against the scheme.

BJP vice president Shyam Jaju and other party leaders also accompanied Goel in the SUV which he drove from his residence on Ashoka Road, before being stopped near Janpath by traffic police personnel who challaned him.

Violation of the odd-even rule is punishable with a fine of Rs 4,000. The fine was Rs 2,000 in earlier two editions of the initiative in 2016.

Goel's car bore features slogans that said 'pradushan ki zimmedar Kejriwal sarkar, odd-even hai bekar' and termed the scheme a drama.

According to the scheme, non-transport vehicles having odd or even last digit of registration number are allowed to run on odd and even dates, respectively.

"I am doing this as a symbolic protest against the Kejriwal government's failure to do anything in five years to curb pollution in Delhi. It is now enacting a drama and election stunt in view of the coming assembly polls through odd-even scheme," he told reporters at his residence.

Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot later met Goel with a bouquet of flower, urging him not to violate the rule as it was aimed at bringing down pollution.

Gahlot said that people of Delhi are following the scheme and BJP's protest by violating it was wrong.

The odd-even scheme will continue from 8 am to 8 pm till November 15.

Goel also violated the second edition of odd-even rule in April 2016. The scheme was introduced in Delhi by the AAP government in January 2016 to fight high level of air pollution.