Udham Singh Nagar residents fear violence, want Badal to stop transfer

CHANDIGARH, AUG 6: Fear writ large on their faces and anger their words dripping with anger, about 200 activists from Udham Singh Nagar di...

CHANDIGARH, AUG 6: Fear writ large on their faces and anger their words dripping with anger, about 200 activists from Udham Singh Nagar district descended on the Punjab Bhavan here today, wanting Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to work for exclusion of the area from the proposed hill state of Uttaranchal. Apprehending violence once their fate was sealed, they accused the `fascist’ BJP of betrayal.

If the tone and tenor of their speeches is any indication, they seem to be preparing for struggle in case the decision to transfer the district to Uttaranchal was not reversed. “Our life and property is in danger. One of the options to stop the Centre from going ahead with its plans is that the Akali Dal should withdraw support to the Vajpayee Government”, said A. P. Rastogi, general secretary of the Udham Singh Nagar Raksha Samiti.

Another leader, Gurbakash Singh Brar, broke down while explaining the situation as the Political Affairs Committee of the Akali Dal was meeting in the adjoining room in the Punjab Bhavan to decide the course of action.

Story continues below this ad

“Udham Singh Nagar would become another Kashmir as the non-hill settlers apprehend violence to uproot them”, said Brar. He wanted the Punjab Chief Minister to seek the support of his Haryana counterpart Om Parkash Chautala as Haryanvis were also settled in large numbers in that area. He said already, the police had let loose a reign of terror on the agitators protesting against the inclusion of the district in Uttaranchal.

Spelling out the options, Rastogi said either the district of Udham Singh Nagar, which differs linguistically and culturally from the hill area, should continue to be part of Uttar Pradesh or to balance the population, at least six more districts, including Saharanpur, Bijnaur, Moradabad, Rampur, Pilibhit and Lakhimpur Kheri should be transferred to Uttaranchal.

Articulating the dominant view, he pointed out that 305 out of the 327 panchayats, seven out of nine local bodies and five out of six urban areas in the district had passed resolutions against their transfer to Uttaranchal.

He regretted that the Akali Dal did not register its dissent when the Bill for the creation of Uttaranchal was approved by the Union Cabinet. Now Badal should act and the Akali Dal should pull out of the Vajpayee Government, he said.

Story continues below this ad

He squarely blamed the BJP for the present situation and said it was behaving like a fascist party. Harbhajan Singh Cheema, who heads the Akali Dal in UP, tried to blame both the BJP and the Congress but later said the BJP had betrayed them by ignoring the wishes of the people of Udham Singh Nagar. The BJP was under attack for not doing justice in this case.

Brar went to the extent of accusing Badal of a sell-out saying he was not sincere.

Rastogi pleaded with Badal not to press for just the command area of sugar mills from the adjoining districts but advocate the transfer of at least six more districts from UP as only then the people of Udham Singh Nagar would have the feeling of security.