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The ‘All India Loktantra Senani Joint Action Committee’ observed a ‘silent satyagraha’ at Raj Ghat in Delhi on Wednesday. The ‘Emergency senanis’ across the country staged a silent protest.
Sharing their ordeal during the repressive regime of emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, there was considerable anger among the volunteers and fighters who were jailed between 1975-77.
Vijay Kumar Sharma, Chairman of the Welcome Committee, said, “Previous governments made promises to protect the interests of the loktantra senanis but nothing satisfactory could be done. Only Mulayam Singh Yadav’s government paid attention to our demands and gave many facilities. Today we demand the central government to give fair compensation to the senanis and respect them. “
He added, “We have four major demands. Firstly, the government shall bring a white paper over the salary and amenities enjoyed by the MPs and MLAs. The second is to publish a white paper on the funds of the ‘Swatantra Sainik Samman Yojana’ in the 1980 and 2017-20 schemes. The funds of thousands of crores spent should be accounted for. Third, is the prohibition of the self-declaration of pension and facilities by the MPs and MLAs. They do not need special privileges if they call themselves ‘jansevak’. The fourth demand is to prevent the state governments from discontinuing the pensions of senanis. Governments have ignored their demand for long. We need justice to be ensured.”
Sharing bitter memories and ordeal of the Emergency regime, Prem Bihari Rai, 70, a senani from Azamgarh, said, “I was picked up and put in jail early in my life as a student. I remained in jail for 21 days. Indira government-dictated everyone from one yardstick. Many were picked up and tortured. Today the rights and voice of those fighters are being suppressed. PM Modi government should respect us. Modi himself was a witness to the emergency period. “
The committee asked the government to take action against those policemen and officers who were involved in vandalism during the dreaded emergency period. Many fighters with their moist eyes recounted the dark days of emergency. More than one lakh volunteers were imprisoned and suffered torture and inhumane conditions during the emergency at the hands of the then autocratic government. Committee members have been raising their demands and concerns for a very long time. They believe that the warriors of emergency and leaders who sacrificed their lives to save the democratic fabric of this country remain forgotten. It is an ungrateful, inhumane and indecent act.
Delhi chairman of the welcome committee Vijay Sharma {45, who went to jail during the emergency}, Rakesh Jain, secretary and Om Shakti ji Babu, general secretary conducted the peace march.
Members of the committee also paid their obeisance at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat. Thousands of volunteers of the Committee participated in the Satyagraha.
There will be a hunger strike by the committee at Jantar Mantar on Thursday as well. They will also put their points before the MPs. The committee will further request the government to bring a Bill in the Parliament to secure the rights of loktantra senanis.
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