Nakti demolition row worsens as BJP MP questions own govt over eviction of families

Raipur: As the political firestorm intensified over the demolition of nearly 80 houses on encroached land in Nakti village of Chhattisgarh’s Nava Raipur, with displaced families marching to state minister OP Choudhary’s official residence in the state capital to register their protest, senior BJP MP Brijmohan Agrawal trained his guns on the local administration, accusing it of mishandling the demolition drive, while undermining elected representatives and hurting the govt’s image.The protest followed four days after the administration razed the houses in Nakti village to make way for a proposed colony for MPs and MLAs. The land in question is entered in official records as ‘shamalat chaaragan’, or land parcels given by all village landowners and meant to be used by the community for grazing their cattle and livestock.It was alleged that the previous Congress govt had accepted the proposal of developing the VIP colony in proximity of the airport, as the colony was tipped to turn into prime property.Heavy police deployment was made outside Choudhary’s bungalow on Friday, as displaced villagers, along with local Congress workers, staged a massive demonstration against the housing minister. The demonstration was followed by a sit-in outside the Raipur collectorate, warning of an indefinite agitation and a ‘jail bharo’ campaign if their demands remained unmet.Adding to the govt’s discomfort, Raipur MP Brijmohan Agrawal, one of the BJP’s tallest leaders in Chhattisgarh, publicly questioned the handling of the demolition despite his party being in power in the state.

Terming the late-night demolition an ‘inhuman’ exercise, Agrawal demanded strict action against the officials responsible, saying those who demolished poor people’s houses during the monsoon “were not fit to be forgiven”. He said he would continue to stand with Nakti residents like he had for the last three years.His remarks assume significance as the villagers had met Agrawal just hours before the demolition, with the minister saying after that efforts were underway to find a negotiated solution and that no demolition would be carried out during the monsoon.However, the bulldozers rolled in past midnight and over 80 houses were razed.The veteran BJP MP also accused officials of denting the credibility of public representatives by ignoring their assurances to the public and mishandling a sensitive issue.The villagers erupted in opposition as dozens of them had been living on the encroached Chaaragan land for decades, with a few of them also given funds under schemes to construct houses.In the early morning demolition drive few days back, the administration evicted about 85 families from the area, allotting them govt accommodation under the EWS quota within the Nava Raipur township.The issue snowballed into a heated political controversy, as the Congress launched an agitation against the demolition and eviction. The protests have gained further traction, with the BJP MP now coming out openly against the demolition and the allotment of land for the colony.The administration defended the action saying the land was required for the proposed MLA housing project, adding that the affected families were offered rehabilitation packages in accordance with existing govt policy.However, with the protests intensifying and dissent now emerging from within the party in power, the Nakti eviction has turned into a major political flashpoint.