AAP accuses Delhi govt of ‘crippling’ public transport system; BJP calls claim ‘misleading’

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday accused the BJP government has crippled Delhi’s public transport system by arbitrarily removing 2,000 buses from the city’s roads without any alternative arrangements.

However, the BJP called AAP’s claims “misleading” saying that the bus routes in Delhi have been rationalized, operations are well-organised, and on May 2, Chief

Minister Rekha Gupta will dedicate 400 new buses to the people of city.

AAP Chief Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar accused the BJP of deliberately sabotaging Delhi’s once “world-class bus” network to benefit capitalist allies through corrupt tendering practices.

Addressing a press conference, Kakkar claimed that the abrupt withdrawal has led to long queues, overcrowded buses, and commuters suffering under peak summer heat.

She said that the move was aimed at creating a crisis that would allow BJP’s favored companies to profit from new contracts. Kakkar further alleged that the BJP’s decision is rooted in corruption, intending to pocket commissions through fresh tenders. “The burden of the BJP’s corruption will ultimately fall on the shoulders of Delhi’s citizens,” she said.

She asserted that under the AAP government, Delhi’s transport system had reached its highest efficiency with a fleet of 7,582 DTC and 1,650 electric buses. The sudden removal of buses, she said, is a betrayal of BJP’s earlier promise not to dismantle any of Kejriwal’s public welfare schemes.

Responding to the allegations, Delhi BJP spokesperson, in a statement, Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the AAP’s claim of a bus crisis in the national capital is completely misleading.

He said bus routes in Delhi have been rationalized, operations are well-organized, and on May 2, CM Gupta will

dedicate 400 new buses to the people of Delhi.

Kapoor said it was deeply unfortunate that in 10 years, the Arvind Kejriwal government had not added a single new bus to the DTC fleet. As a result, he said, all the buses currently in the DTC and cluster fleet are over 10 years old and had completed their legal fitness life between 2023 and 2024.

He further stated that due to the inaction of the Arvind Kejriwal government, some buses have been taken off the roads after outliving their fitness lifespan. However, by rationalizing bus routes, the government has ensured that no bus crisis occurs.

Kapoor also claimed that the people of Delhi are well aware that the shortage of buses is due to the Kejriwal government’s failure to procure new buses, and the situation would have worsened if the

Narendra Modi-led Central Government had not provided 1,700 electric buses to DTC under the FAME scheme.