Rahul Gandhi.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday came out in support of "hard-working" drivers protesting against "harsh" penal provisions on hit and run cases in the new Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, saying it can have "fatal consequences" and "badly affect" their lives.
Truck and bus drivers are on a three-day strike from Monday in protest against the provision of a ten-year jail term and Rs seven lakh penalty instead of the previous two year jail term.
"The insistence on making laws without discussion with the affected class and without dialogue with the opposition is a continuous attack on the soul of democracy. While around 50 MPs were suspended, the 'Shahenshah' in Parliament enacted a law against drivers, the backbone of the Indian economy, which could have fatal consequences," Rahul posted on 'X'.
"Throwing these hard-working people with limited earnings into the harsh legal furnace can badly affect their lives. Also, misuse of this law can lead to 'recovery mechanisms' along with organised corruption. The government, which runs democracy with a whip, has forgotten the difference between 'emperor's orders' and 'justice'," he added.
The strike of the transporters' associations entered the second day today, amid claims that lakhs of vehicles were not operated in states like Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra.