Raje backs movement to protect Khejri trees

Jaipur: Former chief minister and senior BJP functionary Vasundhara Raje Tuesday threw her weight behind the ongoing Khejri Bachao Andolan, a large-scale movement to protect Rajasthan's sacred tree.Sharing a photograph of herself worshipping the Khejri on social media, Raje wrote: "Khejri is not an ordinary tree; it is our divine tree, intimately linked with our faith and emotions. In our tradition, the Khejri is worshipped, and I offer my prayers. Protecting what we revere is our duty. We must rise above politics to safeguard it. I stand with all those committed to the protection of the Khejri and the Oran (grazing lands)."
Blindfolded seers staged an indefinite ‘sit-in' near the Collectorate Tuesday as the agitation to protect Khejri trees in Bikaner gathered momentum. Three hundred sixty-three seers and community members joined the protest, demanding an immediate halt to tree felling until the Tree Protection Act is enforced. Several seers and devotees decided to abstain from food as part of the agitation. Former minister Govindram Meghwal urged immediate legislative action, calling on chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to announce in the Assembly that a law protecting Khejri trees would be enacted within two days. Monday's mahapadav already drew a significant crowd from across Rajasthan. Many stayed overnight in tents near the Bishnoi Dharamshala, while others kept vigil. Sanths began a hunger strike Tuesday. Sant Sachchidanand said: "Our demand is simple: until the Tree Protection Act is enforced, not a single Khejri tree should be cut." The administration responded with a heightened security presence at the Collectorate, deploying the Special Task Force (STF) to maintain order. Collector Namrata Vrishni and SP Kavendra Sagar visited the site, assuring protesters that no Khejri trees in Bikaner would be felled. They attempted to conclude the demonstration peacefully, but participants, guided by the seers, refused to disperse, announcing an indefinite hunger strike. The issue was also raised in the Assembly. Congress's Baytu MLA Harish Chaudhary said: "In our region, we did not build many stone temples, but we worshipped Khejri trees as deities. In the arid landscape, our ancestors not only worked tirelessly to preserve vegetation through countless struggles, but also elevated these trees and plants to a divine status, dedicating everything to their protection. Without the Khejri, the very identity of this region remains incomplete." He urged the govt to respect the sentiments of the region and enact concrete and sensitive legislation for the protection of life-giving trees like the Khejri.