Rajkot:

Congress MLA Lalit Vasoya and Pradip Dudhat along with party supported PAAS leader Hardik Patel were today detained by police from Bhukhi village of Rajkot district where the Dhoraji MLA (Vasoya) had organized a meeting before his proposed ‘Jal-samadhi’ (drowning self) programme to protest the alleged pollution in Bhadar river and its dam-reservoir by various Industrial units.

The Sarpanch of Bhukhi village was also detained.

SP Rajkot Balram Meena said that around 20 people including Vasoya, Hardik, Dudhat and the Sarpanch were detained and taken to Jetpur DySP office and were all later released.

Vasoya was detained when he was coming down from the stage in the village to move towards the water body for so-called Jal Samadhi. He later said that he would take bail and again start his agitation. He questioned the detention/arrest of Hardik and Dudhat. Hardik had also addressed the meeting on the occasion. After release from police detention Vasoya said that in the coming days he would start his agitation again in even stronger manner.

Hardik alleged that the state government was not caring for farmers as villagers in 400 villages in 2 talukas including Jetpur the area of minister Jayesh Radadiya, were suffering from various water borne and skin diseases. ‘It only cares to provide clean water to Industrialists like Ambani and Adani,’ he said adding that the state government was not taking steps against big units polluting the all important river. ‘It is not a government of farmer but it is for Industrialists,’ he claimed. He also claimed that he was offered Rs 50 lakhs while Vasoya was offered Rs one crore by the Industrialists lobby to not to go for the agitation.

Other congress MLAs including Lalit Kagathara of Tankara, Parsottam Sabaria of Dhrangadhra, Brijesh Merja of Morbi, Chirag Kalaria of Jamjodhpur, Pravin Muchhadia of Kalavad, Vallabh Dharawia of Jamnagar rural, J V Kakadia of Dhari, Harshad Ribadia- Visavadar, Bikhabhai Joshi or Junagadh, Babubhai waja of Mangrol have also supported the issue.

Jetpur MLA and minister Jayesh Radadia later said that the state government and Gujarat State Pollution Board had taken and were taking several steps to curb the pollution. ‘Several chemical units flowing effluent in the river have also been shut in the past. In the future also such steps would be taken for violation of rules. Such issues should not be politicized,’ he said.

BJP leader Dansukh Bhanderi said that Congress was again using the ‘Tell a lie and tell it loud’ policy in the matter to blow it out of proportion for political gains.

DeshGujarat