BJP leader, who arrived in 50-car convoy, gets show-cause notice
What's the story
The Madhya Pradesh government has issued a show-cause notice to Saubhagya Singh Thakur, the newly appointed chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Textbook Corporation. The action was taken after Thakur arrived in Bhopal from Ujjain with a convoy of nearly 50 vehicles, allegedly violating fuel conservation directives. The state government has also suspended all administrative and financial powers of Thakur pending resolution of the matter.
Convoy controversy
Thakur defies PM Modi's fuel conservation appeal
The controversy erupted after Thakur traveled to Bhopal with a massive motorcade, ignoring Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for fuel conservation amid a global energy crisis. The prime minister had urged citizens to minimize petrol and diesel usage and adopt measures such as working from home and using public transport. Not just him, several newly appointed chairpersons of state corporations had also arrived at the BJP headquarters in Bhopal with large vehicle convoys.
Convoy criticism
Other leaders also arrive with large vehicle convoys
Pankaj Joshi, Chairman of MP Khadi Gramodhyog Board, had arrived with a large convoy of nearly 1,000 vehicles. Meanwhile, Satyendra Bhushan Singh, Chairman of MP Laghu Udyog Nigam, took an e-rickshaw but was followed by a convoy of several vehicles. The state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Hemant Khandelwal admitted that changing behavior would take time and promised to keep encouraging leaders against using large convoys for public events.
Energy crisis
Prime Minister Modi appeals to citizens to conserve fuel
Earlier this week, PM Modi had made seven appeals to citizens amid the West Asia conflict. He urged people to work from home, reduce fuel usage, adopt natural farming practices, use Swadeshi products, and avoid unnecessary travel. Since the appeal, the Centre has hiked petrol and diesel prices by ₹3 per liter across India. In New Delhi, petrol prices went up from ₹94.77 to ₹97.77 per liter, while diesel prices rose from ₹87.67 to ₹90.67 per liter.