The Hindu : National : V.P. Singh leads rally against sealing drive

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Friday, Nov 03, 2006
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V.P. Singh leads rally against sealing drive

Staff Reporter

Accuses Centre of allowing its authority to be diluted

Photo: Anu Pushkarna

MARCH AGAINST SEALING: Led by the former Prime Minister, V.P. Singh, members of the NCP and Left parties march from the Red Fort to the Town Hall against the sealing and demolition drive in New Delhi on Thursday.

NEW DELHI : A large number of workers of the Jan Morcha, the Nationalist Congress Party, the Communist Party of India and the Janata Dal (S), led by former Prime Minister V.P. Singh, took out a rally at Chandni Chowk on Thursday against the sealing drive.

The protesters decided to "seal" the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) headquarters to register their resentment over the drive against sealing of illegal shops.

Delhi Pradesh Nationalist Congress Party president and MLA, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Delhi Pradesh Janata Dal (S) president and Deputy Speaker of Vidhan Sabha, Shoaib Iqbal, and CPI national secretary Amarjeet Kaur participated in the march from Red Fort to Town Hall.

Raising slogans against the Government, the Delhi Development Authority and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the rallyists accused them of having failed to tackle the situation. They tried to approach the MCD headquarters but were stopped by the police.

Court arrest

When the police did not allow them to move ahead, Mr. Bidhuri, Mr. Iqbal and Ms. Kaur courted arrest.

Addressing the rally, Mr. Singh said it was unfortunate that despite Parliament passing the `The Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006' to suspend the sealing and demolition in Delhi, the drive had not stopped and thousands of people were facing displacement and loss of livelihood.

By its failure to implement the legislation, the Centre had exhibited weakness and allowed its authority to be diluted.

Demanding that the demolition drive be stopped, Mr. Singh said that if needed the entire law should be put under Schedule IX to provide relief to the traders.

Mr. Bidhuri and Mr. Iqbal said they were with the traders.

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