Opposition, Mayor protest against Chandigarh Admn for stopping non-electric vehicles' registration, BJP councillors stay away

Chandigarh, October 18

Mayor Anup Gupta, along with Congress and AAP councillors, protested against the Chandigarh Administration outside the UT Secretariat over the issue of stopping registration of non-electric vehicles.

BJP president’s ‘directive’

Sources said city BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra asked all his party councillors not to join the protest as the UT Administration had already fulfilled their demand.

He had asked all 42 councillors, including the BJP and nominated ones, to join the protest. However, sources said city BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra asked all his party councillors not to join the protest as the administration had already fulfilled their demand.

However, since the Mayor had announced the protest in the House, he joined the Opposition councillors, who had reached the venue. Later, the BJP president and vice-president Devinder Singh Babla also reached there. A party leader said it seemed to be a damage-control exercise and an attempt to show the party was united.

From 11 am, councillors of the two Opposition parties started reaching the site of the protest. Senior leader of AAP Pardeep Chhabra and Congress president HS Lucky also reached there.

Employees of automobile dealers also gathered outside the Secretariat, but did not take part in the protest. A total of 150 persons were seen at the site.

All leaders sat outside the gate of the Secretariat and raised slogans against the administration for about 20 minutes. They also stopped government vehicles from entering the complex.

Tempers ran high when the car of an SDM was stopped at the gate. The Congress councillors, led by Lucky, did let it in. The police had to remove them by force. While all this was happening, the Mayor, along with two BJP leaders, was standing across the road.

While talking to Chandigarh Tribune, the Mayor said, “Since the UT Administration has increased the number of registrations for both two-wheelers and four-wheelers running on internal combustion engine (ICE) by nearly 10 per cent, our party councillors did not take part in the protest. I came here as I had announced the opposition to stand with them.

Further, we are going to meet the UT Administrator to request him there should be no bar on the registration of ICE vehicles.”

The MC House yesterday not only refused to allow installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in its parking lots but also announced a protest by all 42 councillors, led by Mayor Anup Gupta, outside the UT Secretariat.

Meanwhile, many Opposition leaders termed today’s development as an indication of factionalism within the ruling BJP. The party councillors and nominated ones stayed off the protest.