Evidently inspired by the huge success of Anna Hazare and his hunger strikers at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, a little known Punjabi politician has perched himself on a tall eucalyptus and refuses to climb down until his demands are met by the government.
Drawing considerable attention from his location adjacent to the Chandigarh-Delhi highway Avtar Singh Nagla has already spent close to 36 hours on the tree having secured himself with ropes. But this lone protester clearly has no plans to starve like his adopted mentor did in Delhi. Mr Nagla has with him numerous mineral water bottles and his favourite foods.
“He is even carrying an axe and bags full of stones and has threatened to attack anyone that attempts to force him down,” said Dera Bassi’s sub-divisional magistrate Puneet Goyal who has, unsuccessfully, been trying to cajole Mr Nagla off his perch.
“I will stay up here till chief minister Parkash Singh Badal comes personally and accedes to my demands,” the protester called out to reporters at the base of the eucalyptus. He’s even spoke to some local TV networks from his mobile phone.
Mr Nagla, who contested the 2007 Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections but lost rather miserably, wants the government to return land acquired from his own grandfather and other villagers for a paper mill in 1971.
He claimed, “Instead of building the mill and creating jobs for villagers, the land was resold at huge profit to property developers. I want this land returned to its original owners.”
That Mr Nagla will succeed in his most unusual venture is extremely doubtful, but the man, besides providing entertainment for villagers, seems to be gaining a bit of a fan following too.