Oppn takes dig at Bittu, Cong on toll plaza issue

Ludhiana: The opposition parties came down heavily on Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu and Congress party after they laid siege at the Ladhowal toll plaza on Friday. Terming it an election gimmick, opposition leaders demanded that Bittu should clarify why he was silent on the issue for more than four years. Meanwhile, Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) MLA Simarjit Singh Bains alleged Bittu was trying to copy him, as it was Bains who had been constantly raising the issue and demanding the closure of the plaza.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) district president Ranjit Dhillon said: “We have no objection if this toll plaza is permanently done away with. But Congress is doing drama, as they know that soon, the code of conduct will come into effect. Recently, there was no such demand from people to waive off the toll. Then, why are Congress leaders doing this ‘tamasha’, and sitting there since morning?”

He added: “If Bittu says they were demanding rollback of the toll tax, as the contractor failed to complete the work, then he should ask his government to roll back new taxes like professional tax, as Congress government too has done nothing except drama from the day it assumed power in Punjab.”

Speaking to TOI, Bains said: “With elections round the corner, Bittu is very nervous, as he knows no one is going to vote for him, since he has done nothing in his tenure as Ludhiana MP. This is the reason why every other day, either he is busy sending love letters to different ministries and departments, or staging fake protests.”

He added: “As far as toll plaza is concerned, there is no doubt it should be shut down, as people are being robbed by the contractor. Bittu was sleeping earlier when we were staging protests for its closure, but today he is projecting himself as a crusader of people’s rights. He is doing nothing but copying me. His situation is like that of a student who has not studied for the entire year, but when exams come, he takes to cheating to pass. But people are smart enough, and they are not going to fall prey to his cheap tricks.”

According to Ahbaab Singh Grewal, state general secretary and spokesperson of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP): “This is a complete photo op and publicity stunt by Congress. Match fixing between them and the police was visible to the public, since the police made no effort to evict Congress leaders, who had not only threatened the company staff, but also caused damage to the property.”

BJP district vice-president Parminder Mehta said: “It is a good step taken by Bittu to lock the toll plaza, but I think he has realized this problem after the passing of five years of his term. Since elections are going to take place Congress leadership is trying to rake up this issue. MC should be asked to stop collecting property tax from public, because it has failed to provide even roads to commute in the city and people are getting injured while driving,” he added.