In a development that will heap embarrassment on the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh, a village in Noida has put up a board stating that the entry for members from the saffron party were strictly not allowed.
This was after farmers in Greater Noida’s Kachera village alleged that the local administration in collusion with a realty firm had destroyed their standing crops last week. The development snowballed into a full-blown crisis as the residents accused the local police of physically assaulting them when they protested against the destruction of their crops.
“Five days ago, we all woke up to around 25-30 excavators destroying crops we had sown six months ago. A force of around 100 policemen had made a perimeter around the tractors so that no villager could disrupt the work. When we asked questions, we were greeted with lathis,” Indian Express quoted one Tejinder Nagar, a local farmer as saying.
According to local police, the realty group in question had bought the land from the local farmers way back in 2005-2006. However, they could not take possession of their purchased land as the residents demanded more compensation. Villagers, on their part said that no prior notice was given to them and their crops worth lakhs of rupees were destroyed.
One resident alleged that they even contacted local MP Mahesh Sharma, but his phone was switched off. This prompted the local residents to put up a signboard prohibiting the entry of BJP workers in their village.
“I know my village very well; this is the work of a single individual who is politically motivated. A politician from SP was detained… I have been out of the state for a couple of days. I am with the farmers and will resolve all their issues in due time,” he was quoted as saying.
Sharma, for his part, has alleged a political conspiracy saying that he was incommunicado because of his travel adding that he will resolve the issue with the farmers amicably.