Lucknow: A section of BJP’s Ballia unit staged a protest against the district administration after their camp office was bulldozed this week on directions of Ballia Nagar Palika Parishad. The protest was led by Ballia BJP district vice president Surendra Singh, who, along with other party leaders, would regularly sit in the office.
The camp office was bulldozed after the district administration found it had been constructed on Railways land, with Ballia Nagar Palika Parishad tasked with managing it.
While the office was also brought down in the past during the terms of the BSP and the SP governments, Surendra Singh got it reconstructed both times.
Soon after the demolition Tuesday, Singh sat on a dharna at a spot near the Chittu Pandey chauraha against the “Tughlaqi” action of the district administration. Claiming the action came two days after his discussions with the anti-encroachment team, whom he had assured of removing the tin shed, Singh, along with other party members, initiated an indefinite fast Wednesday.
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A banner was hung on a wall still intact at the spot where the tin shed of the office stood, with the words “big protest against district administration’s unjust, Tughlaqi action”. Singh and a section of his party leaders and shopkeepers from the market also raised slogans of “district administration murdabad (down down)”.
On Friday afternoon, Ballia SDM Atraiya Mishra met the protesters and offered them sweets, after which the dharna ended. But, there is no agreement between the administration and Surendra Singh over what happens to the camp office.
While Surendra Singh emphasised the camp office will be reconstructed at that very spot, the district administration stressed that it would keep the land clear of any obstruction.
After meeting the protesters, Mishra told the media he spoke to Singh and that further action would be taken after reaching a full consensus. “I think a misunderstanding, out of a lack of communication between all stakeholders, is the reason for this situation. We have spoken to all stakeholders, and any further action will be taken only after taking everyone into confidence, according to the directions of the state government and the CM,” he said.
Speaking to ThePrint, Surendra Singh said BJP workers would rebuild the office at the same spot. “I asked them, if this [camp office] is encroachment, what are police booths in the middle of the road? My office was a tin shed only, and it will be rebuilt.
“My intention is not to occupy land. The administration’s people were lying to me, saying that an idol of Chittu Pandey will be installed at the spot. I told them clearly that if, at all, any idol is installed, it will be of (former UP CM) Kalyan Singh,” he said.
Speaking to ThePrint, Mishra clarified that the administration would want to keep the pathway clear of any obstruction. “The land in question belongs to the Railways. It handed over the land—50 metre on both sides—to the Public Works Department to make pathways. Now, we will hold discussions with the Nagar Palika, Railways and other stakeholders to decide on the issue,” Mishra said, adding that an idol of Chittu Pandey already exists at the nearby intersection, indicating that there is no proposal to put up another one.
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‘Only BJP office targeted’
In a letter to Ballia District Magistrate Praveen Kumar Laxkar, Singh alleged that he had been using the camp office for “public work and for promoting the work of respected (PM) Modi ji and (UP CM) Yogi ji of which the entire district is aware,” but on 17 December, the office was bulldozed by an excavator even as he had spoken to the anti-encroachment team two days before the incident, informing that he would himself remove the tin shed.
Speaking to ThePrint Wednesday when the protest was still on, Singh said he tried to meet the DM on three consecutive days before the demolition but failed.
“Only the BJP office was targeted. I asked them how they tore off the party flag before calling me. I was ready to remove the flag. I have been working out of that office for 40 years, but they said it was an encroachment. The Nagar Palika got the land encroached, allotting space here to shopkeepers after taking security money of Rs 1 lakh each,” he alleged. “Across the district, there are 17 lanes, nearly 40-feet wide and 100-feet long. Those should be cleaned up, rather than taking such actions.”
Pointing out that no shop on the road was demolished, he said, “I tried to meet the DM for three consecutive days but failed as he was in a meeting on the first day; the second day, he was in Azamgarh; and the third day too, he was out.”
Other party leaders supporting Singh during the protest included former district vice presidents Anjani Rai and Nakul Chaubey and convener of the NGO cell Vijay Gupta. Ballia BJP district president Sanjay Yadav, however, was missing.
Despite UP State Women Commission member Sunita Srivastava urging Singh to end his strike, the BJP leader at the time said the office would continue to function from the spot where it stood. “I have the support of ground workers, who will reconstruct it,” he said.
Rahul Gupta, a former MP candidate from Ballia who joined Singh in the protest, said the demolition was wrong. The administration should have first ensured that it identified the encroachments in the lanes of Ballia over the past 40-50 years and then taken action against them.”
“In Ballia, the trader community is targeted first, even though it always supports the government. The powerful in the regime and their people have encroached on the land inside the lanes where they have created parking areas. Will the district administration not take action there? Small shopkeepers and street vendors placing temporary vends and paying Rs 10,000-50,000 rent are being crushed. First, they should clean up the lanes, but they harm traders,” he said.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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