Sachin Pilot slams Vasundhara Raje-led Rajasthan govt for ignoring the plight of agitating farmers

Jaipur: Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot on Sunday accused the Vasundhara Raje government of failing to reach out to protesting Ninder village farmers who had been agitating for the last 14th day against the Jaipur Development Authority’s decision to acquire their land. He said that at the time of festival season, men and women have buried themselves in pits as a mark of protest and the government us unable to resolve their problems. “The government should reach out to the protestors and amicably resolve their issues,” he demanded. The farmers are protesting against the acquisition of over 1,300 bighas of land for a housing project claiming that the compensation offered was not enough. The JDA has taken possession of 600 bighas of land so far and deposited Rs 60 crore in a local court as compensation for it after villagers refused to accept the amount, claiming it did not hold up to the prevailing market rates. Around 10,000 houses will be built under the scheme announced in January 2011. [caption id=“attachment_4146437” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Congress leader Sachin Pilot at the spot of farmers’ protest. Twitter @sachinpilot[/caption] Hitting out at Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Pilot claimed that she was making attractive announcements as the bypolls are due in different parts of the state, but there is no one to listen the voice of victims. He said that the BJP government is on the verge of completing its term and it should provide relief to the people instead of balancing its political interest. Meanwhile, the protest at Nindar intensified as it entered 14th day on Sunday. Leader of Nindar Bachao Yuva Kisan Sangarsh Samiti, Nagendra Singh Shekhawat said that nearly 700 farmers, including around 450, are on relay fast and have buried\ themselves in pits. Nearly 200 more are ready to join the protest, he said, adding that the government re-survey of the land was done but it wants to carry out work on the acquired land. “Some of the demands, including land resurvey, were met by the government but till the resurvey is done we will not allow them to start work on acquired land,” Shekhawat said. Deputy Commissioner of the Jaipur Development Authority, Raj Kumar Singh said that there were 11 demands raised by the protestors and we have met the six of them. “We are ready to resolve the issues that are practically possible,” he added.