The Hindu, Aug 9 2017, Kalburgi: Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KPRS) condemned Madhya Pradesh police for taking Narmada Bachao Andolan’s leader Medha Patkar into custody. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Maruthi Manpade, president of the farmers’ organisation, said that the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Madhya Pradesh was suppressing people’s movements with an iron hand.
“For the last 25 years, Medha Patkar and her associates have been fighting for the tribal and farmer communities affected by the Sardar Sarovar project. As part of their latest phase of agitation, they were on hunger strike for the last 12 days. The police detained them on Monday. We condemn the Madhya Pradesh government as well as the Union government that are trying to suppress people’s movements for justice instead of addressing the issues they raise,” he said.
He demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi intervene as it was an inter-State issue and come out with a solution to it.
Mr. Manpade said that around 40,000 families in 191 villages would be affected by the project as their villages would be submerged in the Narmada backwaters once the height of the Sardar Sarovar reservoir is increased.
Farmer leaders Ashok Myageri, Sharanappa Mamshetty and Veerabhadrappa were present.
Web: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/madhya-pradesh-govt-condemned-for-detaining-medha-patkar/article19455002.ece