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`Sainiks' to accompany Jan Morcha yatra

Atiq Khan

State Government refuses to provide security cover

LUCKNOW: One hundred and one lathi-wielding "Jan Sainiks" (foot soldiers) of "Jan Sena" will accompany the Jan Morcha's Mukti Sangram Yatra beginning from Fazilnagar in Kushinagar district this Saturday. The four-phase yatra, to be led by Jan Morcha president Raj Babbar, will end at Dadri on November 24.

The Jan Sainiks will remain with the yatra right till its course criss-crossing the four corners of Uttar Pradesh.

Prior to the beginning of the yatra, a public meeting will be held at the Fazilnagar Inter Colege grounds. It will be addressed by the Jan Morcha convenor and former Prime Minister V.P. Singh, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan, All India Muslim Personal Law Board convenor Zafaryab Jilani and the U.P. Minister of State for Minority Welfare and Haj, Haji Yaqub Qureshi.

According to the national general secretary of Jan Morcha, Vinod Singh, the Jan Sainiks would sport the green and yellow party colour along with lathis. He said the strength of the Sainiks would swell to 51,000 during the three-months duration of the yatra.

Trained by a retired BSF commandant, B.L. Sharma, the Jan Sainiks have been entrusted the task of providing security to the yatris as of late several Jan Morcha leaders have been roughed up by Samajwadi Party workers. Mr Singh said the State Government had refused to provide security cover to the Mukti Sangram "qafila" (army).

Jan Morcha cassettes containing songs in the local dialect will be distributed along the route of the yatra. This is the party's method of reaching out to the masses. The Jan Morcha general secretary said at least one cassette would be given in each village.

The first phase of the yatra will end in Lucknow on September 30 with Mr. V.P. Singh leading the yatra from Ramnagar in Barabanki district, about 25 kilometres from here.

The second phase will begin from Lucknow on October 6 and after traversing Sultanpur district and Bundelkhand end in Jhansi on October 19. The third phase of the yatra will commence from Orai on October 26 and conclude at Agra on October 30. The fourth and final phase will begin from Mathura on November 7 and the yatra will reach its destination, Dadri, on November 24. Mr Babbar wll remain with the yatra right throughout.

Mr. Singh said the Mukti Sangram Yatra had been launched to free the State from Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav's "misrule". He said if the Jan Morcha came to power in U.P. it would focus on development and create employment opportunities for jobless youth. Moreover, 10 per cent reservation would be given in government service to the poor upper castes, he said, and added that the Jan Morcha would ensure that 70 per cent jobs in new industries were given to the locals.

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