The Hindu : Tughlakabad village row likely to snowball

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2003

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Tughlakabad village row likely to snowball

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI MARCH 11. As residents of Tughlakabad village here gear themselves up for a prolonged battle to save their dwellings from bulldozers, the intriguing silence of the two major political parties - the Congress and the BJP - on the issue of displacement of nearly 50,000 residents could cost them the support of the Gujjar community in the coming Assembly elections.

The issue, which was raised during Zero Hour in Parliament on Monday by the Lok Janshakti Party leader, Ram Vilas Paswan, is expected to snowball in the run-up to the Assembly elections, scheduled for November this year. Considered one of the biggest Gujjar villages, observers feel that any attempt by the Vajpayee Government to uproot this 700-year-old village could damage the BJP prospects not only in Delhi but also the adjoining States of Haryana, Rajashtan and Uttar Pradesh where the community wields considerable influence. Transferred to the Archaeological Survey of India by the Delhi Government under mysterious circumstances in 1995, the issue threatens to snowball into a major controversy. In fact, the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, has promised to look into the entire issue of transfer of land and displacement of people by the ASI. "I have asked officials to examine the whole situation. I intend convening a meeting to find out the facts and then only the future course of action would be decided,'' she remarked. A delegation led by the Lok Janshakti Party leader, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, had met the Chief Minister on March 9 and presented a memorandum in this regard.

Political observers believe that Gujjars hold considerable influence in Delhi politics and are in a position to cause upsets in at least 15 Assembly constituencies in South and East Delhi. In fact, Congressmen have not forgotten that it was Mr. Bidhuri, who had contested the East Delhi Parliamentary elections in 1991 on the Janata Dal symbol, and had caused the fall of the Delhi strongman and former Union Minister, H.K.L. Bhagat, by cornering a major chunk of Gujjar votes. Gujjar leaders point out that the Assembly polls could once again witness a repetition of the old story if the main parties fail to speak out and provide relief to the people.

The ire of the villagers and Gujjar community is targeted against not only the Union Tourism and Culture Minister, Jagmohan, for not giving them a proper hearing but also against the former Chief Minister, Sahib Singh Verma, who had in 1995 suddenly ordered transfer of the land to ASI despite knowing that it did not belong to the Delhi Government but to the Centre.

The shoddy manner in which the entire land transfer was carried out had raised eyebrows but nobody had realised the serious implications of the transfer. "Mr. Jagmohan had promised to visit the village and see for himself the ground realities. But till date he has not bothered to visit the village that is quite disturbing. When unauthorised colonies are being regularised across the Capital why is a legitimate historic village being uprooted,'' Mr. Bidhuri asked.

It is learnt that some Delhi BJP leaders are also agitated over the manner in the ASI and the Union Culture Ministry have handled the whole issue. Such actions are not beneficial for the party. "Already we are trying to undo a lot of damage done in the past and cannot afford such blunders which will have an adverse impact on the party's electoral prospects," a senior BJP leader said.

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Tughlakabad village row likely to snowball