In first open endorsement by any Congress leader of Arvind Kejriwal government's Odd-Even formula, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said he supports the plan, which will lead to behavioural change.
"Speaking for myself, I support the Odd-Even plan. I think it is important that for short periods of time, such plans must be implemented in order to change peoples' behaviour. It cannot be kept permanently there but for 15 days from time to time. If they introduce plans like this, I think the peoples' behaviour will change.
"There will be more car-pooling, people will take the Metro, people will walk to the market which is 100 metres away. So I think behaviour will change but let us see how it works. I wish them well," Chidambaram said at the AICC press briefing.
His remarks came on the first day of the implementation of the formula. Congress has been critical of the move on the ground that it has been brought without putting in place the requisite arrangements to ease the woes of commuters.
Asked about the problems to commuters due to the new formula, Chidambaram acknowledged that it will cause some problems.
"But the point is it is intended to change peoples' behaviour. If I am a person who has not travelled on Metro, this may persuade me to change my behaviour and travel by Metro twice a week. The idea is to change peoples' behaviour," he said.
Party's Communication department chief Randeep Surjewala, who had on Wednesday asked whether it was an "off-the-cuff decision" to avoid media attention from the 400 per cent salary hike of Delhi MLAs, today insisted that "Congress was never opposed to the plan in principle."
He, however, raised questions on whether the ambitious plan can be implemented when there is "an atmosphere of distrust, acrimony and bitterness" between Centre and the state government."
He also posed a number of questions before the AAP government of Delhi and the NDA dispensation at the Centre regarding their initiatives to check other means of pollution and their preparedness to put alternative arrangements in place.
