In a reckless move that has crippled Delhi’s public transport system, the BJP government has abruptly withdrawn 2,000 buses from the city’s roads, leaving commuters stranded under the brutal summer sun. Long queues, jam-packed buses, and hour-long waits have become the new normal, reversing the progress made under Arvind Kejriwal’s administration, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Chief Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said on Sunday.
Pointing to BJP’s deliberate sabotaging of Delhi’s once state-of-the-art bus network, the AAP’s Chief Spokesperson asserted that the government plans to hand over tenders to its capitalist allies in exchange for bribes and commissions.
Addresing a press conference, AAP’s Chief Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar stated that, in this scorching heat, all bus stands across Delhi are packed with people waiting endlessly for buses. Under the AAP government, Delhi residents had to wait no more than one minute for a bus at any stand. Today, under the BJP government, people are being forced to wait for up to an hour.
The Chief AAP Spokesperson added that the AAP government had enforced a rule that no passenger would be required to travel standing inside a bus — every commuter would get a seat. However, under the BJP government today, every bus is completely packed with passengers. This overcrowding is the direct consequence of the BJP government arbitrarily removing 2,000 buses from Delhi’s roads without making any alternative arrangements.
Priyanka Kakkar further said that the BJP created numerous obstacles to stop the AAP government from working. Sometimes by leveling false allegations, sometimes by withholding files, and sometimes by staging protests — they tried every tactic to derail AAP’s governance. Despite these relentless obstructions, Arvind Kejriwal succeeded in establishing a state-of-the-art transport system in Delhi. Under his leadership, Delhi had the largest-ever fleet of 7,582 DTC buses. Additionally, there were 1,650 electric buses on the roads, along with the launch of Mohalla and Cluster bus services. The AAP government was also preparing to introduce luxury buses.”
“Our goal was to reduce traffic congestion on Delhi’s roads and ensure that not only the lower and middle classes but even the upper class would prefer to use the city’s modern transport system,” she said.
Priyanka Kakkar emphasized that being the national capital, Delhi’s population and number of vehicles continuously increase. According to a report published in 2017, Delhi had become the fourth most congested capital in the world in terms of traffic. Thanks to the efforts of the Arvind Kejriwal government, by 2024, Delhi was brought down from the fourth position to the 44th most congested city globally.
“This remarkable improvement was made possible by focusing on upgrading road infrastructure and the public transportation system,” she noted. However, the BJP government, within just two months, has severely pushed Delhi backward. Without making any alternative arrangements, they recklessly removed 2,000 buses from service.
Priyanka Kakkar stated that the BJP removed 2,000 buses from Delhi’s roads solely because the party is deeply entrenched in corruption from top to bottom. Their consistent effort has been to hand over all tenders to their capitalist friends so that bribery and commission rackets could flourish. Tragically, it is the people of Delhi who will have to bear the cost of this corruption and commission-taking. “The burden of the BJP’s corruption will fall squarely on the shoulders of the citizens of Delhi,” she said.
Priyanka Kakkar urged the BJP to honor its promise. “The BJP had vowed that it would not stop any scheme started by Arvind Kejriwal. It must fulfill that promise. Before forcing people to suffer at bus stands in this sweltering heat, the BJP should have arranged an alternative solution.”
