New Delhi: Left backed farmer's outfit Bhumi Adhikar Andolan and NBA chief Medha Patkar today accused UP government of "forcibly" acquiring land for "illegal" Kanhar dam project in Sonbhadra district and sought immediate release of people arrested for planning protest against it.
Alleging that there is a little difference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav when it comes to offering land rights to public, the outfit said its members were arrested on "fake" charges and misbehaved with.
The Akhilesh Yadav government is currently working on the dam on the Kanhar river in Sonbhadra district of the state. Before the members of 'Bhumi Adhikar Andolan' and All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP) could hold protest on June 30, they were arrested on "fake" charges, the Andolan leaders said here.
The Andolan leaders also alleged UP Irrigation Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav, younger brother of Samajwadi Party chief, was behind attacks on Andolan members. They alleged that the rights of locals will be affected by the "illegal project".
Asserting that there should be no forcible land acquisition for the work, they demanded the project be stalled until it has requisite environmental clearances and affected people are compensated.
"UP politicians are pushing for a project pros and cons of which have not been analysed. There is no environment impact assessment done. They don't want any question to be raised against the project. Shivpal Singh Yadav is behind all this.
"The government did not like the strength Roma and her colleagues gave to the local villagers. Then what is the difference between Mulayam Singh and Modi?" Medha Patkar of Narmada Bachao Andolan asked.
Patkar said that if the government continues to push the project ignoring provisions of 2013 Land Acquisition Act and met out locals "worse treatment" than Britishers, then its consequences will reflect during upcoming Assembly polls in the state.
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