Sunday, January 9, 2011

Jiyani ends fast amid protest by people

 Chander Parkash
Tribune News Service

Fazilka, January 8
Local BJP MLA Surjit Jiyani ended his fast unto death, that he started for getting district status for this town on January 5, amid sloganeering against him, the Punjab Government and Sanjha Morcha by people, here today.

Jiyani, Charan Singh, president, SAD, Fazilka circle, and Mohinder Partap Dhingra, chairman, Improvement Trust, who were observing a fast unto death at the clock tower, ended their agitation by taking glasses of juice after Tikshan Sud, Punjab Forest Minister, announced in the presence of hundreds of people that efforts would be made to accord district status to Fazilka by April 2011.

The moment Sud made this announcement, a large number of people, who have been continuously extending their support to the Sanjha Morcha, started raising slogans against the Punjab Government, Jiyani and Sushil Gumber, convener, Sanjha Morcha. Sher Singh Ghubhaya, MP, also assured people of getting district status for Fazilka.

Sud, who reached to this town last evening, held talks with members of the Sanjha Morcha and leaders of the local unit of the BJP till late night to sort out the crisis in which the party leadership found itself. Sud announced that the BJP leadership would make all-out efforts so that Fazilka could get district status by April 2011.

The announcement was readily accepted by Jiyani and hence he ended his fast unto death.

Meanwhile, a wave of disappointment gripped the residents of this town when the agitation came to an abrupt end.

However, the residents, who observed a complete bandh a number of times in the past 150 days and suffered economically, were agitated over the attitude of a section of the leaders and alleged that they had been cheated and their sentiments hurt.

On the other hand, fissures also appeared in the Sanjha Morcha, which conducted the agitation, when one of its members Parveen Dhanju, alleged that interests of Fazilka had been sold out by the leaders.

He said the Sanjha Morcha should not have ended its agitation without getting the district status for Fazilka.

No comments: