Begin eviction drive from the top: AAP

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 2

Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) state convener Dr Rajan Sushant today accused CM Virbhadra Singh and Leader of Opposition PK Dhumal of misleading over 9 lakh families on the encroachment issue.

He said the parties had failed to bring relief to farmers facing eviction proceedings.

“The Chief Minister should resign on moral grounds as the Delhi High Court has held as “maintainable” its proceedings against him for amassing disproportionate assets. He has failed to take action against PK Dhumal in various corruption cases pending against him and his son Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur,” Dr Sushant said.

The eviction drive should be started right from the top level. Congress ministers, MLAs, including former BJP ministers, have “benami orchards”. They should be brought under the scanner of revenue and forest agencies.

Instead of saving poor and marginal farmers from the eviction drive, Virbhadra and Dhumal were busy launching personal attacks on each other during the monsoon session, he said.

“The CM’s had talked of staying eviction of farmers occupying less than 10 bighas. No such resolution was passed in the Vidhan Sabha. He is misleading the farmers,” Dr Sushant said.

On the charge that he was the revenue minister when the 2002 encroachment regularisation policy was framed by the BJP, Dr Sushant said, “The policy aimed at benefitting farmers occupying 25 bighas. But both Virbhadra and Dhumal did nothing to implement the policy as they fear that the credit will go to Sushant,” he claimed.

Dr Sushant alleged that the main market of Shimla, Boileauganj, Chhota Shimla and 70 per cent of Hamipur are repleted with encroachments. “Will the government demolish these towns?” he asked.

Dr Sushant ridiculed Dhumal’s statement that the 2002 policy was stayed in the court saying both Virbhadra and Dhumal were trying to mislead the people. “We will launch a door-to-door campaign to expose both the parties,” he said.

He said the eviction drive was being carried out under Section 163 of the HP Public Premises Act and the Forest Act. The CM should have taken steps to stay the eviction, he said.