A ruling BJP legislator’s agitation against industrial pollution in the state capital and its peripheral villages is becoming an embarrassment to the Raman Singh Government.

The agitation, led by the BJP’s Devji Bhai Patel has gained momentum, creating fissures within the ruling party. Patel’s supporters began their agitation by protesting in front of the residences of industrialists. Some of those agitating were office bearers of the BJP. The protesters resorted to beating drums and presenting packets of “black dust” to the industrialists’ family, to draw attention to the issue.

For their part, the industrialists along with a few ruling party leaders had complained to the Chief Minister about Patel’s supporters. They later lodged a complaint with the police alleging damage to their property and inconvenience to their family.

Patel is now carrying out a campaign in the villages of Dharsiva block. He is trying to obtain signatures on a memorandum to be submitted in the state legislative Assembly and to the Chief Justice of India.

“Is it not my duty to raise a voice against pollution, a major problem of Dharsiva assembly constituency from where the people elected me twice?” asks Patel, dismissing criticism that the agitation was prompted by internal rivalry within the BJP. “We are not in favour of closing down polluting units. But there has to be some mechanism to ensure strict enforcement of pollution control norms”, he added.

Patel said there has to be a regulatory mechanism to control dumping of black industrial dust in the villages, as this was affecting the paddy crop.

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