Not fine: BJP split over new MV Act

New Delhi: Union surface transport minister Nitin Gadkari’s new Motor Vehicles Act is facing opposition from within.

Mr Gadkari, a former BJP president, who is also considered close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, is facing embarrassment due to his own party’s state governments joining Opposition-run state governments in opposing implementation of the new law.

On Thursday, the Uttar Pradesh government signalled that it too was considering a reduction in the new penalties, joining a growing band of states that find the fines in the amended law too high.

Several state governments — including Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Karnataka — all ruled by the BJP, have already rejected the amended MV Act. While some have sought opinions from their respective legal departments, most have decided not to implement the steep challan regime and proposed a steep reduction in these amounts.

Mr Gadkari was pushing for the MV Act for the past few years and any setback to the implementation of the new provisions could be seen as a dent to the image of the senior BJP leader. Non-BJP states like Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Punjab have already rejected outright the implementation of the law and reportedly sought the views of their legal departments.

The Telangana state government has decided not to implement the amended MV Act, which imposes high penalties on erring motorists, rightaway. CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao has asked the RTA to study the implementation of the Act in other states and then decide.

The minister has come under severe criticism from the Opposition and BJP-ruled states alike on implementing higher challan rates as these governments feel such a steep hike could prove to be an unpopular move.

Mr Gadkari had on Wednesday defended the steep hike in penalties, while acknowledging the states were free to roll them back. “If they want to reduce fines, let them, but the lives of people should be saved and there should be less accidents. There has to be awareness over this,” he said

However, senior BJP leaders are of the view that the implementation of the MV Act has been hasty, and that it needed more discussion with stakeholders. They fear the high amount of penalties could hurt it in the coming state Assembly polls in Maharasthra, Haryana and Jharkhand.

“The move could very well backfire as the middle class and urban population — the core support base of the BJP — would be the ones most affected by the legislation,” a source pointed out.

The party feels the law could also take a toll on the pro-people image of the Narendra Modi government.