The ongoing agitation demanding that a government bungalow in Delhi’s Lutyens’ Zone be converted into a memorial for late Prime Minister Charan Singh is an attempt by Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh both to revive his waning political fortunes and keep the piece of prime property under his control. >Under orders to vacate the 12 Tughlaq Road building , which he is occupying long after he ceased to be a Union Minister, Mr. Singh is seeking to perpetuate his family’s control over the spacious bungalow. It is true that some buildings that hosted eminent personages in the past have been given to foundations, trusts and institutions floated by political leaders. However, this should not be the norm, as there is a shortage of official accommodation for serving Ministers, judges and senior civil servants. The Supreme Court has in the past authorised the eviction of allottees staying beyond their tenure and framed guidelines to prevent overstaying. In July 2013, the Court suggested that official buildings should not be converted into memorials. The rule was already in force then, as the Union Cabinet had as early as in 2000 banned such conversion. Further, there is already a memorial to Chaudhary Charan Singh, named appropriately Kisan Ghat, to commemorate the champion of farmers’ causes, in Delhi. Mr. Ajit Singh’s demand, therefore, is untenable. He has mobilised both his supporters and the Bharatiya Kisan Union, headed now by Rakesh Tikait, to press his demand to convert the bungalow into a memorial to Charan Singh.
The government has done the right thing by moving to evict him by appropriate methods. Mr. Singh was given due notice and sufficient time to vacate the premises. Power and water supply have been cut off. It is to ward off such legal measures by political means that the former Union Minister’s supporters have taken to the path of agitation. The authorities had to thwart an attempt by the protesters to stop water supply to Delhi by tampering with a regulator. The latest is a ‘mahapanchayat’ called by Mr. Singh at his residence, a move seen by the Delhi authorities as a bid to mobilise a huge crowd of farmers and bring further pressure on the government. The Delhi Police have banned the ‘mahapanchayat’ and detained those who tried to gather there. Mr. Singh must take full responsibility for the situation and any possible disruption of law and order. Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and a few other leaders have waded into the controversy by voicing support for Mr. Singh’s demand in what appears to be a pitch for Jat votes ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections. The entire episode is yet another example of the political class positioning itself against public interest in pursuit of its narrow ends.
