BJP's Jail Bharo Andolan
shakes Sheila
From Our Correspondent

Delhi State Bharatiya Janata Party organised a fortnight-long Satyagrah and Jail Bharo Andolan from April 6, 2006 to stop sealing of shops in Delhi and save them from demolition. The Andolan concluded successfully on April 21 and sent out a clear message that BJP will not tolerate anti-people policies of Sheila Dixit Government. Starting a widely-attended Satyagrah in all 16 BJP Districts of Delhi, the party leaders and karyakartas filled all jails in capital from the 6th April, the birthday of Lord Ram and also the BJP Foundation Day. With one voice the BJP leaders declared that it will not allow the commercial character of Delhi to be ruined in any way and for this it was ready to make any sacrifice in interests of trade, industry and the people. They exhorted Delhiites, especially traders and industrialists to wake up and see through the dual character of Congress and dislodge its inefficient, cruel and anti-people Government at the earliest.

Before proceeding for his ‘Bharat Suraksha Yatra’, the former Deputy Prime Minister Shri Lal Krishna Advani had written a letter to the Prime Minister to prevent the shops of Delhi’s traders from being sealed and to save lakhs of people from being left unemployed.

Thousands of party workers, traders and shopkeepers along with senior State BJP leaders, Members of Parliament, Legislators, and councilors participated in this movement. They included Prof. Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Deputy leader of BJP in Lok Sabha, Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Deputy Leader of BJP Parliamentary Party in Rajya Sabha and former Union Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, State BJP President, Dr. Sahib Singh Verma National Vice-President and Ex-CM of Delhi, Shri Mange Ram Garg, former State President and Legislator, Smt. Smriti Irani, Shri Om Prakash Kohli, former State President, Shri Vijay Goel, BJP National Secretary, Shri Lal Bihari Tiwari, ex-MP, Prof. Jagdish Mukhi, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly, Shri Kedar Nath Sahani former State President, Shri Pawan Sharma, State General Secretary, Shri Subhash Arya, Leader of Opposition in MCD and Smt. Anita Arya, ex-MP and former BJP General Secretary.

All the State Office bearers including Samiti, Mandal and district level leaders were present every day and in different districts these leaders led karyakartas and traders on Satyagrah, organised dharna and blocked roads to pressurise the government to change its stand. All these leaders were arrested and sent to Tihar Jail.

On April 6, the first Satyagrah was organised by BJP East Delhi District and led by Delhi BJP President Dr. Harsh Vardhan. He was arrested along with thousands of party workers. Before his arrest he said that BJP’s Satyagrah and Jail Bharo Andolan will continue till the oppression let loose against traders is stopped. He said that Delhi’s citizens should come out openly in the streets against this anti-trade and anti-people government. Challenging Congress MPs of Delhi he said that if there is any sense of respect left in them then they should try to stop the sealing of shops otherwise they should resign from the membership of Parliament.

Addressing Satyagrahis on the third day and before courting arrest along with thousands of karyakartas, Prof. Vijay Kumar Malhotra said that Delhi Government should frame laws immediately to regularise shops as they are and the sealing should be stopped immediately. Cases against traders should be withdrawn and they should immediately be released honourably. He expressed surprise that the Central Government failed to save Delhi shops even after a notification. It is necessary that the Government should provide relief by introducing an Amnesty Bill. The threat of bulldozers is looming large on more than four lakh shops in residential areas and on ten lakh houses in Delhi while the Central and Delhi Congress Governments are merely issuing statements. He criticised Shri Jaipal Reddy’s statement that a law will be framed only if needed.

As days passed, the Andolan and Satyagrah gained momentum with number of State BJP karyakartas and leaders swelling and the growing participation of traders and shopkeepers.

On the ninth day Smt. Sushma Swaraj courted arrest along with thousands of karyakartas, traders and shopkeepers. Before her arrest she said that Delhi Government has complicated the case of demolitions and sealing in Delhi and the Government is betraying shopkeepers and traders. She expressed satisfaction that the Satyagrah and Andolan drew massive support and its message had reached every citizen. She gave the credit for this to all BJP karyakartas. She said that BJP is trying everything to awaken this deaf and dumb Government from its slumber but it is regrettable that the Congressmen who are themselves in the Government are making different demands and they have been unable to find any legal solution to this problem. She raised spontaneous slogans like ‘Dilli ka dard bataane ko ham ja rahe hain jail, bahari sarkar ko sunane ke liye ham ja rahe hain jail, lagi seelo ko turwane ke liye ham ja rahe hain jail, tor phor rukwane ke liye ham ja rahe hain jail’.

Prof. Jagdish Mukhi participated in the Satyagrah on a number of days. He said that the Delhi Government deliberately wants to ruin well-established businesses so Delhiites are compelled to purchase costly goods of foreign multi-national companies. This is the reason why in spite of Congress rule at Centre, Delhi and MCD, the Government is giving mere assurances instead of relief to Delhi citizens.

Shri Mange Ram Garg led the Satyagrah on April 18 and courted arrest. He said that Delhi has been completely ruined during the last seven years of oppressive and dictatorial Congress rule. Government has no time for people’s problems and the administration is corrupt. Under a grave conspiracy the trade, business, shops, residences of the capital are being uprooted. Even the persons earning their livelihood on footpath are not being spared. Such atrocities were not committed even during the British or Mughal rule.

Shri Kedar Nath Sahani addressed BJP leaders and karyakartas before being jailed. He pointed out that had the Government prepared a zonal plan in a suitable manner and presented the entire case in the Court properly, the condition of Delhi could not have become so bad.

Shri Vijay Goel demanded immediate dissolution of DDA and MCD because both institutions have failed to achieve their objectives and have become dens of corruption. He said that after this Andolan, BJP will compel all the Congress Ministers, public representatives and Councilors to resign by confronting them at every place.

Smt. Smriti Irani said that the people of Delhi had voted for Congress in the hope that it will provide livelihood, security and employment to them. But their trust has been violated by the Congress. No citizen of Delhi has been left in peace.

Addressing Satyagrahis on the 14th day, Dr. Sahib Singh Verma told the gathering that the corrupt Congressmen have found a way to extract illegal gratification even in the sealing of shops by promising to open Congress offices there. Once they occupy any shop by converting it into an office then it will be very difficult for the shopkeeper to get back possession of that place. He said that Congressmen have grabbed hundreds of shops in this manner. After a thorough enquiry into the affair, guilty Congressmen should be punished. On April 15 Shri Lal Bihari Tiwari said that the sealing and demolition drive in Delhi is a grave conspiracy to ruin Delhi by the Non-Resident Indians.

Shri Pawan Sharma was present on each day of the Andolan. He said the Congress had conspired many times against the people of Delhi, but this time it would be defeated. Legislator Subhash Sachdeva said that a Government which cannot provide livelihood has no right to render lakhs of people unemployed. According to Smt. Anita Arya, lakhs of women in Delhi were in a sorry state because they did not know when Congress would deprive their families of livelihood. Even though the Chief Minister is a lady, she has not taken even a single step for solution of this serious problem so far.