Abandon dam projects on Ganga: Advani tells Khanduri

Fri, Jun 20 01:10 AM

Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani has asked Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri to abandon all state hydro-dam projects on the Ganga and persuade Professor Guru Das Agrawal to give up his fast within 24 hours. Ganga Mahasabha national general secretary Acharya Jitendra said this at a press conference on Thursday.

Professor Guru Das Agrawal, on fast-unto-death to press for his demand that the Ganga be allowed to flow naturally, criticised double talk on the Ganga issue. He has censured VHP chief Ashok Singhal, the chief minister, the saints and all those giving mass awakening programmes a precedence over fast, besides senior BJP leader Murali Manohar Joshi.

Acharya Jitendra, along with Govind Sharma and S.K. Gupta met Advani in Delhi on Tuesday to brief him on the Ganga issue. After the briefing, Advani talked to the chief minister on telephone at about two in the afternoon.

Apparently, the former deputy prime minister asked Khanduri if building dams on the Ganga was part of the state BJP election manifesto. Khanduri told Advani that four of the dam projects were under the state government, and it was ready to abandon these.

The fifth belongs to the Centre. Advani advised him to send a request to the Union government to abandon the project so that the BJP leadership could take it up at that level, the acharya said.

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