Ajit Singh's bungalow should be converted into memorial: JD (U)

Janata Dal (United) leader KC Tyagi on Friday said the bungalow occupied by Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh should be converted into a memorial in the honour of former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.

"Chaudhary Charan Singh was a great leader for farmers of the nation and also a freedom fighter. For us, he holds the same importance like Jawahar Lal Nehru and Indira Gandhi for the Congress and Syama Prasad Mukherjee and Deendayal Upadhyay for the BJP, that is why the farmers are demanding establishment of a memorial," he said.

Tyagi further said that Ajit Singh should have initiated the proposal of Chaudhary Charan Singh's memorial while he was in the Cabinet.

"Chaudhary Charan Singh is not only Ajit Singh's father but also the minister of the leaders of JD (U), Janata Dal (Secular), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Samajwadi Party, Lok Dal, Indian National Lok Dal and Biju Janata Dal… Ajit Singh should have initiated making the bungalow a memorial while he was in the Cabinet," he added.

Justifying his demand, the RLD chief earlier in the day said that the farmers are emotionally attached to his bungalow as they have been coming here for the last 36 years and they don't want the doors of this bungalow to be closed for them. Ajit Singh added that the movement will continue.

"It was Chaudhary's bungalow when he came in 1978. Till the time I stayed there, people used to consider this bungalow as Chaudhary's place and farmers across the country, who came to Delhi, came here. Now the movement has started. There is farmers' union and committee. They will take the movement forward," he said.

The New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) had earlier issued Ajit Singh an eviction notice to vacate the government bungalow in which he has been staying from the past 36 years after Choudhary Charan Singh passed away. After he failed to vacate the bungalow, the NDMC disconnected the water and power supply to the government bungalow giving the reason as overstaying. In retaliation, Singh's supporters, mainly farmers, took to the streets in protest.

Earlier on Thursday, the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) activists along with RLD supporters marched towards the Gangnahar Muradnagar regulator in an attempted to cut off water supply to the national capital, but were prevented by the police who had to resort to baton charge and the use of water cannons to disperse the protestors.