MP: Ajay Singh says won't use red beacon; practise should end

Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Ajay Singh, today said he will not use red beacon on his car, as it represents "feudalism".

"I am announcing that I am returning my red beacon today itself," Singh said in the House during Zero Hour.

"By putting red beacons atop cars, people are practising feudalism. Therefore this system should be abolished in Madhya Pradesh also (following similar decisions in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab)," he said.

However, Panchayati Raj Minister Gopal Bhargava took a jibe at him, asking why Singh didn't think of this when Congress was in power.

Singh retorted that even when he was minister, he did not use red beacon.

Talking to reporters later, Singh said, "I have demanded that the Madhya Pradesh government end the culture of red and yellow beacon cars."

He got a red beacon a few days ago, he said. "I will remove it from my car today itself. Earlier too I never used it and I do not like it."

Blue beacons atop ambulances should continue, he added.

When asked why the red beacon should not be used, senior Congress leader Mahendra Singh Kalukheda said, "People are using it for illegal sand mining."

The Congress has been long alleging that illegal mining is rampant in Narmada and other rivers with the state government's protection. The BJP government has denied the allegations.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)