Yashwant Sinha protests demolition

RANCHI: BJP leader Yashwant Sinha on Sunday denounced the demolition of illegal structures in Jharkhand, saying the homeless first needed to be rehabilitated.
"We are against the way the demolition drive is being executed. I will sit on an indefinite strike against the ongoing demolition drive. The drive should be called off immediately," said Sinha, a member of the Lok Sabha.The BJP MP along with hundreds of supporters sat on a dharna at Birsa Chowk protesting the anti-encroachment drive.
Over 4,200 illegal structures have been demolished in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Bokaro and other districts in the last one month on the directive of the Jharkhand high court. The drive has left more than one lakh people homeless.
More than five lakh people will become homeless if the drive continues for the next two to three weeks. "The state government should move the high court to seek a stay on the demolition drive. The affected people should be first rehabilitated, then the drive should be started," Sinha said.
Chief minister Arjun Munda is said to be in a dilemma over the demolition drive and the state government is yet to take a firm stand on the issue.
Jharkhand assembly speaker C P Singh has openly opposed the demolition drive. "Any party or government exist for the people. The demolition drive is executed in the most inhumane way. We are with the people and we will protest till it the drive is not stopped," he said. Another senior BJP leader, Raghubar Das, has also demanded that the demolition drive be halted immediately. The opposition parties have also been protesting against the drive, demanding rehabilitation of people before the demolition of structures take place.