Cong.(I) MLA to fast in support of daily wagers

By Our Staff Corespondent

BHOPAL, MAY 10. The Congress(I) MLA from Mahidpur in Ujjain district, Dr. Kalpana Parulekar, today announced that she would sit on a protest strike here from Thursday for the cause of the daily wagers and issued an ultimatum to the State Government that she would immolate herself if the daily wagers abruptly removed from their jobs are not reinstated within a week.

Dr. Parulekar, who is a trade union leader of long standing, was addressing a Press conference here. She had earlier lent full support to the BJP leader, Ms. Uma Bharti, when she had begun her indefinite fast for the daily wagers' cause on May 1. Later she was arrested and hospitalised with cardiac problems.

Meanwhile, Ms. Bharti also ended her fast declaring that she would announce the strategy for the next phase of her agitation after meeting the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister in Delhi.

Dr. Parulekar's announcement today has come as a shot in the arm for the daily wage workers and various employees' unions and organisations that have been in the forefront campaigning for reinstatement of the retrenched daily wagers.

Dr. Parulekar said she would lead the battle for the daily wagers' cause to its logical end and would not succumb to pressure from those at the helm of affairs. Without naming any one and asking journalists to draw their own conclusion, she said there might even be an attempt to eliminate her by the enemies of the daily wagers.

Dr. Parulekar said three days ago she had received a letter threatening her of dire consequences. This letter and some other sensitive information has been sealed in an envelope and handed over to her Guru, Mr. Satin Desai, with instructions that it should be handed over to the CBI in case she gets killed, Dr. Parulekar told newsmen.

In reply to a query, Dr. Parulekar said Ms. Uma Bharti has damaged the agitation and announced that she would now sit on dharna from tomorrow under the Congress(I) banner. She said that many senior State Congress(I) leaders have offered support to her. She named Mr. Kamal Nath and said his followers have been meeting her regularly and assuring support.

Asked about the show cause notice served on her by the party high command, she said ``it is an internal party matter'' adding in the same breath that she had learnt about the show cause notice through newspaper reports much before receiving it.

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Section  : Regional
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