Humour
It's True! In India, Politicians Grow On Trees
by ASIT JOLLY
A little known Indian politician has perched himself on a tall eucalyptus and refuses to climb down until his demands are met by the government.
Drawing considerable attention from his location adjacent to the Chandigarh-Delhi highway, Avtar Singh Nagla has already spent close to 36 hours on the tree having secured himself with ropes.
But this lone
protester clearly has no plans to starve. Mr Nagla has with him numerous mineral water bottles and his
favourite foods.
"He is even carrying an axe and bags full of stones and has threatened
to attack anyone that attempts to force him down," said Dera Bassi's
sub-divisional magistrate Puneet Goyal who has, unsuccessfully, been
trying to cajole Mr. Nagla off his perch.
"I will stay up here till Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal comes
personally and accedes to my demands," the protesting politician called out to
reporters at the base of the eucalyptus. He even spoke to some local
TV networks from his mobile phone.
Mr. Nagla, who contested the local 2007 Vidhan Sabha elections but lost
rather miserably, wants the government to return land acquired from his grandfather and other villagers for a paper mill in 1971.
He claimed, "Instead of building the mill and creating jobs for
villagers, the land was resold at huge profit to property developers. I
want this land returned to its original owners."
That Mr. Nagla will succeed in his most unusual venture is extremely doubtful, but the man, besides providing entertainment for villagers, seems to be gaining a bit of a fan-following too. [Including the staff here at sikhchic.com!]
[Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle]
April 18, 2011
Conversation about this article
1: R. Singh (Canada), April 18, 2011, 3:33 PM.
There is nothing idiotic in any protest, let alone one that is more uncomfortable for the protester, but helps shed light on a prevalent problem of political-corporate nexus swindling people.