NEW DELHI: The former Prime Minister, V.P. Singh, will defy the ban order imposed on him against participating in a farmers' rally at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. The rally is to highlight "corruption" in the power project accorded to a private company by the Mulayam Singh Government.

Mr. Singh told The Hindu here that a court order prohibited him and Raj Babbar of the Jan Morcha from participating in the rally on the ground that "a very large gathering could attract terrorist attacks."

In a lighter vein, Mr. Singh said perhaps his phone was tapped because the order also named Baba Amte, who was in Pune, and with whom he had spoken on phone on the Right to Information Act. "I cannot cooperate with such an unjust order. Submission to it would be a betrayal of democracy," he said.

Mr. Singh said the Government arrested 17,000 people on Tuesday night. "The power project is in Ghaziabad and the rally is about 18 km away in Dadri, but they have arrested people from Balia and up to Agra. Even one train from Agra has been cancelled."

Several questions

He said several issues needed to be raised. No competitive bids were called and only one party was favoured. While the land title had already been transferred in favour of the company, no tariff had been settled for power. The State Electricity Regulatory Authority's permission was not taken, Mr. Singh alleged. The company had been allowed subsidised acquisition of land at 40 per cent cost whereas 60 per cent would be borne by the Government treasury. The gram samaj land had been acquired at Rs. 100 an acre for a 99-year lease. "All this reveals the corruption that is involved," he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail