DPCC leaders take up Shakti Sthal issue

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, NOV. 3. A Delhi Pradesh Congress(I) Committee delegation led by its president, Mr. Subhash Chopra, today met the Union Urban Development Minister, Mr. Ananth Kumar, and expressed shock and concern over the continued neglect of Shakti Sthal, the samadhi of the former Prime Minister Ms. Indira Gandhi.

During the interaction with the Union Minister, the DPCC(I) pointed out that Indira Gandhi did not belong to a particular party but was a national leader who represented the masses and the voice of the poor. It is indeed sad and unfortunate that the memorial of such a great leader, whose contribution towards building a modern, secular and democratic India was well known, was today a picture of neglect. Mr. Chopra said thousands of domestic and foreign tourists visit the samadhi every year to pay their respects but they go back disappointed at the sorry state of affairs.

The samadhi, Mr. Chopra pointed out, had become a haven for drug peddlers, anti-social elements, grazing ground for stray animals and unscrupulous people. The children from the adjoining JJ clusters were often found playing cricket on the strip leading to the samadhi and there was no security personnel positioned to prevent such a situation. The boundary wall around the samadhi was in a dilapidated shape and the greenery which was developed over the previous years had disappeared speaking volumes about the work done by the Union Ministry.

The delegation demanded that appropriate instructions should be issued to all the concerned people incharge of the upkeep of the Shakti Sthal to take adequate steps to reverse the situation and to return the samadhi back to its original glory. He warned that his party would be forced to launch an agitation if steps were not taken to set the situation right. He also pointed out that the samadhis of former Prime Ministers, Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadhur Shastri and Rajiv Gandhi were facing a similar fate and this amounted to showing disrespect to the national leaders. The Congress(I) would not tolerate such a situation and hit the streets to expose the BJP and its Government at the Centre, he added.

Assuring the delegation that he was taking all the required steps for setting the situation right, Mr. Ananth Kumar informed that he would personally visit Shakti Sthal on November 12 for an inspection and asked the Congress(I) leaders to accompany him. Others who formed part of the delegation included veteran Congress leader, Mr. Jag Parvesh Chandra, Mr. Deep Chand Bandhu and Ms. Tajdar Babbar (MLAs), Mr. Sajjan Kumar and Mr. J.P. Aggarwal, both former MPs.

Earlier, the Chief Minister, Ms. Sheila Dikshit, had also written to Mr. Ananth Kumar informing about the state of neglect of Shakti Sthal and had demanded that adequate steps be taken to set things right.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Other States
Previous : A date with Mr. X, anyone ?
Next     : A Globe trotter