Date:05/10/2002 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2002/10/05/stories/2002100505290100.htm

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Jogi meets PM after courting arrest

By Anita Joshua

The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Ajit Jogi, along with Congress leaders Ambika Soni, Motilal Vora and Shyama Charan Shukla, on a dharna at the Tughlak road police station after being arrested while marching towards the Prime Minister's residence in New Delhi on Friday. — Photo: Sandeep Saxena

NEW DELHI OCT. 4. Taking a cue from his Punjab counterpart, the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Ajit Jogi, took to the streets here today and courted arrest along with his entire Cabinet, senior party leaders, and Congress MPs and MLAs from the State to press for Central procurement of paddy from his State.

Though his pressure tactics helped Mr. Jogi get the 64-member delegation to meet the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, with the State's demand that the Centre instruct the Food Corporation of India to buy its entire paddy produce of the year, they returned dissatisfied as all they got was an assurance that their request would be examined.

Later briefing mediapersons, Mr. Jogi said "when the market price is less, it is the responsibility of the Centre to procure the paddy.''

Stating that the Prime Minister and the Agriculture Minister had not given a clear answer to the State's request, the Chief Minister said the State was also ready to work as an "agent'' for the Centre and procure the paddy; provided the Government picked up the bill.

Mr. Jogi's scheduled meeting with the Prime Minister early this afternoon was preceded by considerable "drama with the 64-member delegation being detained when they insisted on proceeding towards the 7 Race Course Road despite permission being granted only to the Chief Minister and a few of others."

The contingent led by Mr. Jogi included the AICC general secretaries, Motilal Vora and Ambika Soni, seven Congress MPs, 28 Chhattisgarh Ministers, and 26 party MLAs from the State.

The delegation was detained for violating prohibitory orders when an hour ahead of the scheduled meeting, they began marching towards the Prime Minister's residence from Chhattisgarh Bhawan on Sardar Patel Marg. Prior to marching towards the Prime Minister's residence with his Cabinet and others in tow, the Chief Minister met the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi.

While Chhattisgarh had also demanded an increase in the procurement price of paddy, Mr. Jogi's contention is that even at the existing price of Rs. 550 a tonne, the Centre should buy the entire produce of the State as it had suffered a loss of Rs. 423 crores on this count last year.