The Hindu : New Delhi News : BJP does a U-turn on Metro fare issue

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 04, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

BJP does a U-turn on Metro fare issue

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, APRIL 3. When it came to taking credit for launching the prestigious Metro Rail service in the Capital, the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party and the Union Urban Development Ministry went to town claiming that it was their project and that they had toiled hard to realise their dream. However, when the issue of effecting an increase in the Metro Rail fares arose, the BJP suddenly did a U-turn and blamed the Delhi Government for the hike claiming that the BJP-led Central Government had no control over such matters.

When it came to the issue of inauguration of the Metro Rail services between Shahdara and Tis Hazari and then again of the extended line up to Inderlok, the representatives of the BJP-led Government at the Centre and the then Chairman of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), Madan Lal Khurana, had bulldozed the protests by the Delhi Government against not inviting the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sonia Gandhi. The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, ultimately inaugurated the line. The issue of not inviting Ms. Gandhi to the inaugural function had at one point in time threatened to take an ugly turn with the Delhi Government lodging a strong protest against such an indifferent attitude of the Central Government and its nominees. In fact, Mr.Khurana had managed to have his way and it is a different matter that the Prime Minister inaugurated even a small section of the line.

There were other instances also where the Delhi Government's point of the view was overlooked by the Central Government which made it a point to put across the fact that Metro Rail was a dream of the Vajpayee Government and the BJP and that the Congress Government had virtually nothing to do with it. Mr.Khurana had even claimed that he had started the work on the project during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Delhi that was carried forward by his successor, Sahib Singh Verma.

However, when it came to taking the harsh decision of raising the Metro Rail fares, the BJP leaders did the opposite. Projecting the Sheila Dikshit Government as the culprit, the BJP leaders including the Leader of the Opposition, Jagdish Mukhi, blamed the Delhi Government nominees for proposing the fare hike and said the Central nominees were unable to do anything. Suddenly, the talk of the Central Government running the show gave way to accusations that it was the Delhi Government which controlled the Metro Rail affairs and had effected the fare hike. There was no mention of the fact that the control fell within the jurisdiction of the Central Government and its Railway and Urban Development Ministries. The BJP failed to mention the fact that it was the Secretary (Urban Development) who was the Chairman of DMRC and who functioned under instructions of the Central Government.

The Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, said that when it came to taking credit for starting the project, the BJP and the Central Government splashed big advertisements and painted the town red with the message that it was their efforts that had resulted in Delhi having a Metro Rail.

"However, now they are running away from claiming control in view of the fare hike that is inevitable and part of the rationalisation process of such a huge project. The Fare Committee is supposed to meet every year and give its recommendations. However, this year, its recommendations were delayed, as Mr.Khurana, in his capacity as the former Chairman, had not allowed discussion on the issue during the various meetings despite the officials having made a presentation in this regard. This was done with an eye on the Assembly polls and not in the interest of the people,'' she added.

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