Work of making 'Tughlaqi laws' should stop: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over govt-truckers row

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. File Pic

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday slammed the government over the new hit-and-run cases-related penal provision that sparked protests by truckers, saying the work of making "Tughlaqi laws" unilaterally, without consultation, should stop, reported news agency PTI.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Tuesday said the decision to invoke the new hit-and-run cases-related penal provision, which has sparked protests by truckers, will be taken only after consultation with the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC). He made the remarks after a meeting with a delegation of the AIMTC, reported PTI.

The meeting was held against the background of some truck, bus and tanker operators beginning a three-day strike on Monday against the stringent jail and fine regulations under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) for hit-and-run cases, reported PTI.

The punishment in such cases was two years in the British-era Indian Penal Code (IPC).

In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, "Drivers are the wheels of our economy and progress. They work with very little money, face various hardships and lead a tough lifestyle. The law and system should be humane towards them."

"Every life is precious. It is the duty of the government to protect everyone. The purpose of the law is to make the life of the common person easy, safe and fair and not to push millions of people towards oppression, extortion, imprisonment and financial bankruptcy," she said.

The work of making Tughlaqi laws unilaterally, without consultation and without involving the opposition, should stop, Priyanka Gandhi asserted.

The Congress on Tuesday had come out in support of truckers' protest against the new law on stricter punishment in hit-and-run cases, saying the misuse of the legislation can lead to an "extortionist network" and "organised corruption".

Meanwhile, the Government and the transporters have agreed that transport workers will resume their work immediately in the wake of protests in some parts of the country over a provision of the newly enacted Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and they appealed to truck drivers to resume work, reported ANI.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said a discussion was held with All India Motor Transport Congress representatives and the new rules pertaining to hit-and-run cases under the recently enacted Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) have not been implemented yet, reported ANI.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)