Delhi CM, 18 MPs ask Medha Patkar to end 10 day protest fast for Narmada oustees, want PM Modi intervention

By A Representative
As the indefinite fast of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar and 11 of her colleagues to protest the Madhya Pradesh government's "refusal" to rehabilitate Narmada dam oustees entered the 10th day, a government doctors' team which examined them said, they should be immediately shifted to hospital.
On fast at Chikhalda village in Kukshi tehsil, the doctors said, the fasting activists' blood pressure had turned "very low" and there was and ketone in the blood. The doctors examined the activists in the presence of local government officials and Kukshi MLA Surendra Singh Baghel.
Refusing to budge, Patkar and others said that the authorities "should not worry only for 12 people but also for the lakhs of people of Narmada Valley still waiting for complete and just rehabilitation." They insisted that the gates of the Narmada dam, which is in Gujarat, should be opened till the state government allowed "complete and just rehabilitation" of all the oustees.
Patkar's refusal to end fast came amidst Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani showing no readiness for compromise, saying, with the 30 gates closed, the dam's reservoir would be filled to the brink, 138.64 metres. Considered a political requirement, any decision to retract from here would mean a major loss to the BJP in Gujarat, which is going on polls in December.

Rajneesh Vaishya from Narmada Valley Development Authority has given the figure of 7,010 families yet to be rehabilitated

In Delhi, several senior politicians, including 18 MPs, appealed to Patkar and 11 others to end their fast, even as asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene immediately. Sharad Yadav of the Janata Dal United, Sitaram Yechury of the CPM and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal issued separate statements in support of NBA on similar lines.
Protest in support of Patkar continued in Delhi's Jantar Mantar, with Yogendra Yadav, Alok Agrawal, Sandeep Pandey and Dr Sunilam ending their token fast. Those present in solidarity included RTI activist and Magsaysay awardee Aruna Roy, senior activist Shabnam Hashmi, CPM farmers' leader Hannan Mollah, environmentalist Soumya Dutta, Supreme Court advocate Sanjay Parikh, sociologist Prof Nandini Sundar, and Jignesh Mevani of the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikaar Manch.

Protest in Delhi

Meanwhile, efforts continued on the part of the Madhya Pradesh government to suggest that no one needs to be rehabilitated. Dhar district collector Shriman Shukla, who was on a visit to Nisarpur, claimed that the rehabilitation of eight villages has been completed. The villages he named were Jal Kheda and Patavar from Manawar tehsil; Mimbola, Gulati and Balwara from Dharampuri tehsil; and Sisgaon, Dehar and Dasaanda from Kukshi.
However, quoting ground reports, NBA sources said, there are still 10 houses in Jhala Kheda yet to be rehabilitated, whereas the rehabilitation site of Dasanda village has not been made yet. Asked a local activist, "Where has the rehabilitation happened without any rehabilitation site? Few families were rehabilitated in Gujarat long back. Seven houses of Deher village are still left to be rehabilitated. Why is the government always putting false claims of complete rehabilitation?"
Jyotiraditya Scindia, Congress MP from Guna, raised the issue in Lok Sabha and asked why was the Madhya Pradesh government illegally drowning lakhs of people in Narmada Valley and forcefully evicting them without complete and just rehabilitation and why was the government selectively picking excerpts from the Supreme Court judgment and not following the spirit of the whole judgment to solve the oustees' problem.
To this, Narendra Singh Tomar, Panchayat Raj Minister, replied that the Madhya Pradesh government was following the Supreme Court orders which said that the submergence area should be evicted by July 31 and all the compliances had been done as per the orders.
Contesting the minister's statement, in a communique, NBA said, "Rajneesh Vaishya from Narmada Valley Development Authority has given the figure of 7,010 families yet to be rehabilitated. Different statements about rehabilitation has proved the realities on the ground are different from what the authorities sitting in Delhi claim. The government is playing the numbers game."

Comments

From snowstorms to heatwaves: India’s alarming climate shift in 2025

By Dr. Gurinder Kaur* Climate change is no longer a future concern—it is visibly affecting every country today. Since the beginning of 2025, its effects on India have become starkly evident. These include unseasonal snowfall in hill states, the early onset of heatwaves in southern regions, a shortening spring season, and unusually early and heavy rainfall, among other phenomena.

'Incoherent, dogmatic': Near collapse of international communist movement

By Harsh Thakor* The international communist movement today lacks coherence or organizational unity. Many groups worldwide identify as communist, Marxist-Leninist, or Maoist, but most promote dogmatism, reformism, or capitulation, using revolutionary rhetoric. Some trace their origins to historical betrayals, like Trotsky’s efforts to undermine the Soviet socialist transition or the 1976 coup in China that restored a bourgeoisie under Deng Xiaoping. Others focus on online posturing rather than mass engagement. Small communist organizations exist in places like Turkey, South Asia, and the Philippines, where Maoist-led struggles continue. No international forum unites them, and no entity can forge one.

Priced out of life: The silent crisis in India's healthcare... who pays attention, and who takes responsibility?

By Aysha* Manisha (name changed) has been living with a disease since the birth of her third child—over ten years now—in the New Seemapuri area of North East Delhi. She visited GTB Hospital, where a doctor told her that treatment would cost ₹50,000, as the hospital would charge for the cost of an instrument that needs to be implanted in her body. Several NGOs have visited her home, yet she has received no support for treatment and continues to live with the illness. Manisha is divorced, without access to ration or pension, and lives with her three children by begging outside a temple.

Honouring Birsa Munda requires resisting the loot of natural resources

By Raj Kumar Sinha* The legacy of Dharti Aaba Birsa Munda is inseparable from the struggle to protect indigenous land, identity, and rights. On June 9, as we commemorate Shaheed Diwas (Martyrs’ Day), it is imperative to reflect not only on his life but also on the ongoing injustices faced by tribal communities in the name of “development.”

Vishwamitri river revival? New report urges action on pollution, flood risks, wildlife protection

By A Representative The Vishwamitri Committee, formed by the Gujarat State Human Rights Commission, has submitted two supplementary reports on June 5, 2025, detailing efforts to rejuvenate the Vishwamitri River in Vadodara, considered Gujarat's cultural capital. The reports (click here and here ) respond to directives from a May 26, 2025, GSHRC hearing. Comprising environmentalists, urban planners, and zoologists like Neha Sarwate, Rohit Prajapati, Dr. Ranjitsinh Devkar, Dr. Jitendra Gavali, and Mitesh Panchal, the committee focuses on mitigating pollution, stabilizing riverbanks, managing flood risks, and preserving biodiversity, particularly for crocodiles and turtles.

Sewer deaths 'systemic crimes' rooted in caste-based oppression, economic marginalization

By Sanjeev Kumar* Despite repeated government claims that manual scavenging has been abolished in India, the relentless spate of deaths among sewer and septic tank workers continues to expose a deeply entrenched reality of caste-based discrimination, systemic neglect, and institutional failure. A press release issued by the Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM) paints a harrowing picture of hazardous conditions faced by sanitation workers across the country—conditions that routinely lead to fatal outcomes with little to no accountability.

The only professional in Indian horse racing history to win over 1,000 races both as jockey and as trainer

By Harsh Thakor* Pesi Shroff is perhaps the most visible face of Indian horse racing. He seamlessly carried forward the legacy of his cousin Karl Umrigar, who tragically lost his life in an accident. In many ways, Pesi became a symbolic reincarnation of Karl’s aspirations, taking Indian racing to greater heights and establishing records that remain unbroken to this day.

Mumbai jetty project: Is Colaba residential associations' outrage manufactured?

By Gajanan Khergamker When the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) filed an affidavit before the Bombay High Court defending its long-planned public jetty project, it did more than just respond to a writ petition by a Colaba Residents Association. It exposed, albeit inadvertently, a far more corrosive phenomenon festering beneath the surface of urban civil life across India—a phenomenon where residential associations, many unregistered and some self-professed custodians of ‘public sentiment,’ conspire to stall governance under the veil of representation.

Victim to cricketing politics, Alvin Kalicharan was a most organized left handed batsman

By Harsh Thakor* On March 21st Alvin Kalicharan celebrates his 75th birthday. Sadly, his exploits have been forgotten or overlooked. Arguably no left handed batsman was technically sounder or more organized than this little man. Kalicharan was classed as a left-handed version of Rohan Kanhai. Possibly no left-handed batsmen to such a degree blend technical perfection with artistry and power.

Search This Blog