Sarpanches plan to gherao CM's house, Vidhan Sabha

Rohtak, February 8

Sarpanches of Haryana, who have been agitating against the e-tendering and ‘right-to-recall’ regimes of the state government, plan to gherao the Vidhan Sabha and Chief Minister’s residence in Chandigarh ahead of the upcoming Assembly session.

Vikas Khatri, secretary of the Haryana Sarpanches Association, said they were hopeful that the state government would accede to their demands, but were also prepared to intensify their agitation if it does not.

“We will continue to protest against the unjust regimes of e-tendering and right to recall being enforced by the state government till these are withdrawn,” maintained Khatri.

As of now, the sarpanches are holding dharnas outside the houses of the MLAs of the ruling parties — BJP and JJP — across the state in support of their demands.

Earlier, the sarpanches were staging protest demonstrations at the offices of the Block Development and Panchayat Officers at all district headquarters.

The statewide protests are going on under the aegis of the Haryana Sarpanches Association, which had also organised a state-level show of strength at Jassia village in Rohtak district recently.

The agitating sarpanches were detained by the police in different parts of the state after they decided to boycott a recent event of the Chief Minister at Narwana town in Jind district. Nonetheless, the sarpanches have refused to budge and remain firm on their stance.