AAP legislator Somnath Bharti sported a long coat and a foldable 10-kg bike at a cycle rally on the fourth car-free day on Friday. He said he received four other similar cycles as gift from one of his “constituency admirers”.
The fourth car-free day was observed on the six-km stretch between Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station and the Chhatrasal Stadium red light in north Delhi.
Attorney Bharti said the bikes were gifted to him five months ago. “I use cycle to take tour of my constituency,” he said, claiming that cycling has emerged as a fad among “wealthy” residents of his constituency.
“I say, ‘Why not take your cycle if you are going short distances?’ People can use cycles for daily need like buying grocery or milk from a local shop,” he said.
The cycle rally was kicked off by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on foggy Friday morning. Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra and AAP MLAs Sanjeev Jha, Jagdeep Singh, Rajesh Gupta and Bharti participated in the rally along with teachers and students of Delhi University.
“I sometimes carry the cycle with me in the Metros. It weighs only 10 kilos,” the AAP MLA from Malviya Nagar told Deccan Herald. He said all the gifted bicycles are with him. Bharti said he didn’t know how much the cycle cost.
“There is a paradigm shift in how people view cycling. During Sheila Dikshit government, people were told that there is dignity only when everybody has a car,” Bharti said, accusing the previous Congress dispensation of not doing enough to promote cycling.
He added that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has made biking popular during the odd-even scheme and car-free days.
Earlier this month, the AAP government announced subsidising cycles using odd-even challan collection. The government has also appointed a committee to chalk out ways to promote cycling in the city.
Published 23 January 2016, 02:08 IST