'Black flag' rally: Left owns responsibility

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR, JAN. 12. The Left parties here on Thursday owned up responsibility for the ``black flag demonstration'' at the Chief Minister, Mr. Ashok Gehlot's public meeting in Moulasar town of Nagaur district on Tuesday which had led to widespread disturbances and police intervention. However, the leaders of the CPI(M) and the CPI said their men had no role in the violence.

The parties demanded a judicial enquiry into the incident by a sitting judge of the High Court and the transfer of the District Collector and the SP. They ``rejected'' the enquiry by the Additional District Magistrate,instituted by the State Government. For any tangible improvement in the atmosphere the cases against ``innocent persons'' should also be withdrawn, they said.

Mr. Hariram Chouhan and Mr. Tara Singh Sidhu, State Secretaries of the CPI(M) and the CPI respectively, who met newspersons here today on their return from the affected town, blamed the policies of the State Government for the flare up in Moulasar. ``The farmers were promised eight hours power supply at the time of the previous session of the State Assembly. What they get is never more than five hours a day,'' the leaders said justifying the ``expression of public resentment''.

There were apprehensions about the role of some ``outside elements'' in creating disturbances at the function, held to mark the commissioning of a sub grid station.

This especially when Nagaur is a Jat-dominated district and Jats as a community are seemingly none too pleased with the Chief Minister. In fact, Mr. Gehlot himself had alleged the previous day that the violence was pre-planned and the trouble makers had come from elsewhere.

``There was no outsider. When it comes to poor power supply, every farmer is a sufferer. The farmers had converged there from the surrounding towns and villages as well,'' Mr. Sidhu noted.

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Section  : Other States
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