Neatly parked in between two cars at the Delhi Assembly on Wednesday was an e-rickshaw decorated with brooms and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s face plastered on the sides. Behind the handle bar sat “Rajesh Garg Rohini-wala” with few of his party workers in tow.
While Mr. Kejriwal has always been vocal in his support of battery-operated rickshaws, here was one of his own legislators making the long trip, nearly 20 km, from his constituency in North-West Delhi to attend the first session of the Fifth Delhi Legislative Assembly.
Soon after his car broke down, Mr. Garg was gifted the rickshaw by some of his supporters in Prashant Vihar. “My car is no more in a functional condition. It has also been my mobile office since the campaigning days and it would continue to be so,” he said.
Party worker Aloknath Agarwal can vouch for that. “The rickshaw was a common sight during campaigning days,” he says, having travelled in it himself. It has a laptop charger and an eight-hour battery life, he adds.
On Wednesday, the security guards outside the Delhi Assembly, let down their guard (and rules) that only registered vehicle were allowed inside the premises. With e-rickshaws not sporting number plates, a special concession and a sticker was issued to allow the journey through the gates.
