Rajnath Singh backs farmers, sits on daylong fast
May 12th, 2011 - 2:57 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, May 12 (IANS) Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajnath Singh Thursday went on a daylong hunger strike in Ghaziabad in support of protesting farmers in Greater Noida and to draw attention to the “deteriorating law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh”.
Rajnath Singh, who was arrested Monday while proceeding to Bhatta-Parsaul village - the epicentre of the farmers’ agitation demanding higher compensation for their land acquired by the government - said he was protesting in Ghaziabad — his Lok Sabha constituency, as prohibitory orders were in force in Greater Noida.
Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley, Janata Dal-United general secretary K.C. Tyagi, BJP vice president Muktar Abbas Ansari and several other National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders held a meeting, which marked the beginning of the fast.
Rajnath Singh, who is also the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, said the law and order situation in the state under Chief Minister Mayawati had “deteriorated to the lowest levels”.
Quoting from the national crime record statistics, Rajnath Singh said the situation in Uttar Pradesh was “worse than Jammu and Kashmir which is considered to be the epicentre of terrorism in the country”.
He said the BJP would continue its agitation in support of the farmers in Greater Noida and other parts of the state.
He described the sit-in of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi in support of farmers in Bhatta-Parsaul Wednesday as a “drama”.
“Why should Rahul sit on dharna? He has the central government in Delhi. Why doesn’t he take up the issue there?” he asked.
Clashes had broken out between farmers and security forces Saturday, resulting in the deaths of four people, including one on Sunday.
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- PM announces aid, Pilot tries to enter Bhatta-Parsaul (Third Lead) - May 22, 2011
- As parties play politics of land, divides deepen (Roundup) - May 12, 2011
- Rahul's march to get feedback on land policy: Digvijay - Jul 05, 2011
- Campaign to spread across Uttar Pradesh: Rahul Gandhi - May 18, 2011
- Sachin Pilot held on way to Bhatta-Parsaul, released (Second Lead) - May 22, 2011
- Rahul to raise farmers' problems at July 9 rally - Jul 04, 2011
- Prohibitory orders lifted not to suit Rahul: Uttar Pradesh - May 11, 2011
- Rahul Gandhi detained in Uttar Pradesh village - May 12, 2011
- From Bhatta-Parsaul, Rahul leads campaign against Mayawati (Roundup) - Jul 05, 2011
- Congress defends Rahul Gandhi on Bhatta-Parsaul, BJP hits out (Intro Roundup) - May 19, 2011
- I am with you, Rahul tells farmers in Mayawati land (Second Lead) - Jul 05, 2011
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Tags: ansari, chief minister, crime record, epicentre, general secretary, ghaziabad, greater noida, hunger strike, jammu and kashmir, leader of opposition, Lok Sabha, Mayawati, national crime, national democratic alliance, rahul gandhi, rajnath singh, rajya sabha, record statistics, sabha constituency, tyagi